RELEASE ON RECEIPT




                                                    CONTACT:  Katherine Jackson
                   NEW U.VA. CENTER OFFERS PAIN RELIEF TO WOMEN
	CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Dec. 22--Imagine the pain of being told your 
pain doesn't exist. Or of having an organ surgically removed to eliminate 
pain, but the pain persists. 
	Such is the plight of about 10 percent of women who visit their 
doctors for relief from chronic abdominal and pelvic pain. 
	At the University of Virginia Women's Pain Center, which opened in 
June, clinicians offer  a unique treatment program that helps women cope with 
pelvic pain.  And researchers determine the best treatment for various types 
of lower abdominal pain. 
	U.Va. joins six other national institutions in offering relief to a 
population of women who have traditionally found it difficult to get 
treatment. "Women who suffer from chronic pelvic pain frequently go from 
doctor to doctor trying to relieve their pain. Others are told their pain is 
in their head," says nurse coordinator June Edwards. 
	"This is a different direction for a pain center. Just acknowledging 
that a patient's pain is real can ease a great deal of anguish, " says medical 
director Dr. Donald Manning, assistant professor of anesthesiology.                
	 Even if the pain cannot be completely eliminated, it's important to 
improve a patient's overall ability to function, says Edwards.
 	One of the reasons that pelvic-pain patients do not realize 
improvement is that they develop a passive role and expect doctors "to fix 
it."  To help women cope, relaxation skills and other methods to manage 
stress and pain are offered at the center. 	  
	         At U.Va. an interdisciplinary approach to chronic pain 
provides the best treatment for patients because several viewpoints can be 
brought together to integrate the physical and psychological processes, 
Edwards says. 
	In addition to Manning and Edwards, the team consists of psychologist 
Dania Cyd Chastain, plus a physical therapist and nutritionist. 
	Treatment at the center may involve physical therapy and an exercise 
program and nutrition counseling.  Doctors say that pelvic pain  can be 
associated with abnormal muscle function, so patients use exercise to learn 
to improve the function of certain muscle groups.  Improvement in diet, such 
as high fiber foods, or certain vitamins and minerals could be a part of the 
treatment plan too. 
	An example of a pelvic-pain condition is dyspareunia or painful sex.  
It is one of the most problematic aspects of pelvic pain experienced by a 
woman and her partner.  Dyspareunia can be caused by simple anatomic 
problems or complex psychosocial problems, according to Edwards.  
	Other  interdisclipinary treatment options include medications, 
including direct injection of anesthesia around nerves; surgery, a muscle 
strengthening program, nutrition and training in coping skills, such as 
biofeedback, relaxation and stress reduction techniques.
	The center is a part of the comprehensive services at U.Va.'s 
Midlife Health Center, located at the Northridge site.  All patients are 
referred to the center mostly by specialist physicians- gynecologists or 
urologists.
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                                                   December 21, 1995