Managing PRD symptoms

Pelvic radiation disease (PRD) can affect any of the organs, tissues, bones and lymph nodes in your pelvis. This includes the vagina, womb, ovaries, bladder, bowel and rectum. 

For some patients, symptoms may start during or soon after pelvic radiotherapy but last for 3 months or more after treatment. For others, PRD is a more delayed response to pelvic radiotherapy and symptoms can start months or even years after treatment has finished. 

These symptoms that either start later or last for a long time are different from the shorter-term symptoms that are expected while treatment is happening. PRD symptoms may be mild or be easy to manage without any treatment. But they can be more severe or long-lasting, which may have a bigger impact on day-to-day life. 

The good news is that there are often ways to manage these symptoms – whether that is through lifestyle changes or medical treatment, as well as practical support that can help lessen the impact on you.