Pelvic pain/dysmenorrhea/PMS

ADULT

  • If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

    • Ectopic pregnancy
    • Ruptured haemorrhagic ovarian cyst
    • Torsion of uterine appendages (ovarian)
    • Acute/severe pelvic pain
    • Significant or uncontrolled vaginal bleeding
    • Severe infection
    • Abscess intra pelvis or PID
    • Bartholin's abscess / acute painful enlargement of a Bartholin's gland/cyst
    • Acute trauma including vulva/vaginal lacerations, haematoma and/or penetrating injuries
    • Post-operative complications within 6 weeks including wound infection, wound breakdown, vaginal bleeding/discharge, retained products of conception post-op, abdominal pain
    • Urinary retention
    • Acute urinary obstruction
    • Unstable molar pregnancy
    • Inevitable and / or incomplete abortion
    • Hyperemesis gravidarum
    • Ascites, secondary to known underlying gynaecological oncology

    • Refer to local Healthpathways or local guidelines
    • Severe dysmenorrhoea in Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (PAG) patient may be symptom of outflow tract obstruction in duplex system, and congenital Mullerian anomalies, needing urgent referral

    Medical management

    • Important to exclude cyclical bladder, bowel symptoms
    • Treat infection if present
    • Simple analgesia
    • Suppress menstrual cycle with oral contraceptive pill / Implanon® / depo-provera / Mirena®
    • Treat dysmenorrhoea with NSAIDS or COCP
    • PAG patients use Ponstan, and progesterone
Minimum Referral Criteria
Category 1
(appointment within 30 calendar days)
  • Suspicion of malignancy
  • Severe dysmenorrhoea in PAG patient
Category 2
(appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Multiple emergency presentations
  • Pelvic pain and significant USS findings e.g. presence of endometriomas / fixed retroverted uterus
Category 3
(appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • Chronic pain not responding to maximal medical management

Please insert the below information and minimum referral criteria into referral

1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this

  • History of/to:
    • pain, severity and duration, cyclical nature, dysmenorrhoea
    • differentiate from GI pain
    • previous sexual abuse, PID
    • Medical management to date and efficacy
  • Most recent or current cervical screening
  • HVS result
  • STI screen result – endocervical swab or first catch urine for chlamydia +/- gonorrhoea NAA
  • MSU M/C/S results
  • Pelvic USS (TVS preferable) TA Ultrasound in PAG patients, and if indicated by congenital anomaly MRI is necessary.

3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral

  • BMI

4. Request

  • Patient's Demographic Details

    • Full name (including aliases)
    • Date of birth
    • Residential and postal address
    • Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
    • Medicare number (where eligible)
    • Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
    • Preferred language and interpreter requirements
    • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

    Referring Practitioner Details

    • Full name
    • Full address
    • Contact details – telephone, fax, email
    • Provider number
    • Date of referral
    • Signature

    Relevant clinical information about the condition

    • Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
    • Physical findings
    • Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
    • Body mass index (BMI)
    • Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
    • Current medications and dosages
    • Drug allergies
    • Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use

    Reason for request

    • To establish a diagnosis
    • For treatment or intervention
    • For advice and management
    • For specialist to take over management
    • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
    • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
    • Reassurance for the patient/family
    • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
    • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

    Clinical modifiers

    • Impact on employment
    • Impact on education
    • Impact on home
    • Impact on activities of daily living
    • Impact on ability to care for others
    • Impact on personal frailty or safety
    • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

    Other relevant information

    • Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
    • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
    • Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)

  • If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

    • Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service.  Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
    • A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating, or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
    • Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

Last updated: 8 July 2021

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