How to interview a patient with pelvic pain
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Pelvic pain can come from the reproductive organs, the bladder or the bowel. In anyone who could be pregnant, rule out an ectopic pregnancy first.
Step by step
Check stability and pregnancy
Dizziness, fainting or heavy bleeding with pain: call for help. Ask about the last period and do a pregnancy test. [1]
Introduce yourself and offer privacy
Offer a chaperone for any exam. [2]
Onset and character
Sudden severe pain (torsion, rupture) or gradual; constant or cramping; one side or both. [3]
Relation to the cycle
Pain with periods, mid-cycle, or with sex. [3]
Discharge and fever
Suggest pelvic infection. [1]
Bladder and bowel
Burning, frequency, blood in urine, diarrhea, constipation. [1]
Summarize and plan
Explain the exam and imaging. [2]
Common errors
- Not ruling out pregnancy first.
- Missing sudden one-sided pain (torsion).
- Forgetting urinary and bowel causes.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
- AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
- NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.