When we talk about lower abdominal pain, we generally mean pain that you feel below the level of your belly button. It can come from any of the tissues and organ systems in that area, which is why it can be very confusing. Pain which is very low down is termed pelvic pain but we’ll be including it as lower abdominal pain for this guide. Describing your lower abdominal pain Ovarian cysts are rarely painful. Most will go away on their own and it’s only if they become particularly large, twist or rupture that they produce pain. You might experience bloating, pain during sex or need to keep passing urine frequently. Thankfully only a small minority of ovarian cysts are cancerous and this is usually in women who have been through the menopause. You should see your doctor however if you think you may have an ovarian cyst. • Ectopic pregnancy True enough, the sharp wit and droll absurdism of Carrington's novel The Hearing Trumpet, and such short stories as The Debutante, are absent here. Down Below is earnest and humourless, the nature of the experiences being described leaving little alternative.

Down Below review: A valuable report from a descent into the Down Below review: A valuable report from a descent into the

When a doctor asks you about your pain, they will want to know where exactly you are feeling the pain. This can be a useful indicator of what the cause might be.The surrealist movement revered madness as a rupture in the matrix of rationality, which alienated mankind from its true powers, perceptions and creativity – all the dark swarming force of the unconscious. André Breton's novel Nadja recounts his enchantment with a young woman spiralling into insanity akin to Carrington's. Down Below counters that book with an un-romanticised female perspective. On the centenary of her birth, the late surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington is the talk of the town. Joining the gush of reissued fiction, memoirs and articles in the press about Carrington's work and colourful life comes this NYRB Classics reissue, an account of the madness Carrington endured in France and Spain during the second World War. We’ll explore the causes of lower abdominal pain by their location to make it easier to work out what is causing your pain. Pain around the belly button Inflammation of the appendix is often initially felt around the belly button. It may come and go and gradually move to the right side. It gets more severe over 24 hours and is worse on movement. You may feel nauseated, have slight loose stools and a temperature. Surgery is often required to remove an inflamed appendix so don’t wait at home if you think this may be the diagnosis. • Stomach ulcers

Book Review: Leonora Carrington, Down Below - The Volunteer Book Review: Leonora Carrington, Down Below - The Volunteer

Down Below, by Leonora Carrington. Translated by Victor Llona, with an introduction by Marina Warner. New York: NYRB, 2017. 112 pp. They may be able to give you a diagnosis and recommend treatment but if any further clarification is needed then further tests will be arranged. These will vary according to what condition is suspected but may involve:

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If you experience pain just above the pubic bone (supra-pubic) it could be one of the following: • Bladder pain