Women Sexually Transmitted Disease – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) – is an infectious inflammation of the fallopian (uterine) tubes. It is a pretty dangerous female disease as it can cause infertility. Also it’s chronic form is fairly common – sexually transmitted infections and possible complications after abortion are the main reasons for it.

It is about a million women in the US who suffer from PID and 10% out of total number face infertility. Moreover PID is responsible for many cases of ectopic pregnancies.

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Note: adolescents are more likely to be affected than adults.

What Is the Reason for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?

Most often, infection occurs in an ascending way, i.e. through the vagina. Then the infection moves along the cervical canal, gets directly into the uterus and the last point of this “journey” – the fallopian tubes.

The second way is downward. With it, the infection enters the tubes from the appendix or sigmoid colon. There is another way – through blood or lymph from any part of the body that contains infection.

What Are the PID Symptoms?

It is very typical for sexually transmitted diseases not to show any signs at all, at least for a certain period of time, PID is not an exception. But sometimes there are symptoms that can make you a hint:

  1. Lower abdominal pain.
  2. Vaginal discharge.
  3. Itching.
  4. Pain in the pelvic region.
  5. Pain and / or burning during the urination.
  6. Back pain.
  7. Non-typical weakness.
  8. Chills.
  9. Bleeding inbetween periods.

How Can You Be Sure that You Didn’t Have PID Before?

We wrote at the very beginning of the article that PID is more likely for young women under 25. The only way to be sure that you’re not infected with this disease is visiting doctor at least once a year. Read the symptoms above with attention and if you’ll notice something like that – don’t delay your visit to gynecologist. There is no special text that can identify pelvic inflammatory disease, diagnosis is carried out on the basis of pelvic exam (swab), vaginal discharge analysis or urine tests.

Is There a Cure for PID?

The effectiveness of medical care directly depends on the stage of pathological process. The most positive prognosis happens on early stages. Today, the symptoms of acute PID are less common in women, and surgical intervention is not often performed. You can remove inflammation with the help of injections and taking anti-inflammatory drugs. During the whole process of treatment, patients require absolute peace and cold compresses on the abdomen.

Double-sided pelvis most often requires surgery and ends with the removal of the fallopian tubes, which causes infertility or ectopic pregnancy.

Treatment of chronic PID is often complicated by the fact that the initial stage of the disease can occur without any symptoms, and the antibiotic therapy doesn’t work due to the low sensitivity of microorganisms to medicinal products.

Complex treatment is used for successful chronic PID: in addition to drug therapy physiotherapy and folk methods of treatment can be used.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pelvic Inflammatory Disease:

Question: Are there any ways to prevent PID?

Answer: Here are some good advice for you:

  1. Reduce the amount of your sexual partners.
  2. Try not to start your sex life too soon, at least wait until adulthood.
  3. Try to avoid sexual relations during menstruation.
  4. Avoid any extraneous interference into your reproductive system, for example, non-professional gynecological examination, cervical damage, abortion or cesarean section.
  5. Make an early visit to your doctor to avoid possible risks of not only this particular infection, but many others like chlamydia, trichomonads, gonococci, escherichia, streptococci, Koch’s stick, staphylococcus, etc.


Question: Are there any complications that PID can cause?

Answer: Even after the end of the treatment, a woman can still have such problems as menstrual failure, also sexual and reproductive functions often suffer. There is always a risk of infertility, ectopic pregnancy and pelvic pain. And once again – this are the risks of PID even after it was treated. When it left untreated irreversible damage to the female reproductive system, namely uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes is the most likely eventuality.