Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the female reproductive organs. It most often occurs when sexually transmitted bacteria spread from your vagina to your uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries or cervix.
The signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease can be subtle or mild. Some women don’t experience any signs or symptoms. However, it can cause pelvic pain, vaginal discharge and sometimes with fever. As a result, you might not realize you have it until you have trouble getting pregnant or you develop chronic pelvic pain
Common organisms are E. Coli, anaerobic streptococci, and Bacteroides fragilis. Neisseria gonorrheae and Chlymedia trachomatis are increasingly in incidence, particularly in younger women.
Risk factors
- Multiple sexual partners
- Previous venereal disease
- Intrauterine contraceptive device(IUCD)
- Sepsis after childbirth
- Miscarriage
- Termination of pregnancy
- Previous surgical intervention.
If you want to reduce the risk of getting PID?
The only way to avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting PID:
- Being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results;
- Using latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.
Some of the Symptoms and signs of PID are-
- Malaise
- lower abdominal pain
- fever
- purulent or bloody vaginal discharge
- rectal pain.
Some of the Investigations to determine if it is a Pelvic Inflammatory Disease are-
- FBC, MSU, pregnancy test
- High vaginal swab (HVS)
- Chlymedia test
- Laparoscopy may be necessary if diagnosis is not certain.
If PID is diagnosed early, it can be treated. However, treatment won’t undo any damage that has already happened to your reproductive system. The longer you wait to get treated, the more likely it is that you will have complications from PID. While taking antibiotics, your symptoms may go away before the infection is cured. Even if symptoms go away, you should finish taking all of your medicine. Be sure to tell your recent sex partner(s), so they can get tested and treated for STDs, too. It is also very important that you and your partner both finish your treatment before having any kind of sex so that you don’t re-infect each other.
You can get PID again if you get infected with an STD again. Also, if you have had PID before, you have a higher chance of getting it again.
Other effects of PID are-
- Pelvic abscess
- Septicaemia
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Future susceptibility.
Do not toy with your health, once you do not feel well enough, visit the Physician.
Dr. Olaomo Noah Oluwafemi is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist with a love for writing. His desire is to enhance people’s lifestyle and effect positive change in their health through his writings
