Lower abdominal fullness can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'needs attention' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose lower abdominal fullness, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Intestinal Obstruction | 95% | Confirm |
Ovarian Cancer | 14% | Unlikely |
Ovarian Cysts | 4% | Ruled out |
Endometriosis | 3% | Ruled out |
Fibroids | 3% | Ruled out |
Do you experience a sense of lower abdominal fullness that is NOT caused by food or gas? In other words do you ever "feel full" when you shouldn't?
Possible responses:
→ It is caused by gas / don't know→ No, I do not experience lower abdominal fullness → Yes, sometimes a little fullness → Yes, often a little / sometimes definite fullness → Yes, (almost) always a definite fullness |
Fluid in an ovarian cyst can irritate the lining of the abdomen, creating inflammation which in turn can cause bloating or fullness.