CEN Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

CEN Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Overview

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 or ovaries.

The signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease can be subtle or mild. Some women don’t experience any signs or symptoms. As a result, you might not realize you have it until you have trouble getting pregnant or you develop chronic pelvic pain.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease might be mild and difficult to recognize. Some women don’t have any signs or symptoms. When signs and symptoms of PID are present, they most often include:

• Pain — ranging from mild to severe — in your lower abdomen and pelvis
• Abnormal or heavy vaginal discharge that may have an unpleasant odor
• Abnormal uterine bleeding, especially during or after intercourse, or between menstrual cycles
• Pain during intercourse
• Fever, sometimes with chills
• Painful, frequent or difficult urination

Causes

Many types of bacteria can cause PID, but gonorrhea or chlamydia infections are the most common. These bacteria are usually acquired during unprotected sex.

Less commonly, bacteria can enter your reproductive tract anytime the normal barrier created by the cervix is disturbed. This can happen during menstruation and after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion. Rarely, bacteria can also enter the reproductive tract during the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) — a form of long-term birth control — or any medical procedure that involves inserting instruments into the uterus.

Risk Factors

• Being a sexually active woman younger than 25 years old
• Having multiple sexual partners
• Being in a sexual relationship with a person who has more than one sex partner
• Having sex without a condom
• Douching regularly, which upsets the balance of good versus harmful bacteria in the vagina and might mask symptoms
• Having a history of pelvic inflammatory disease or a sexually transmitted infection

Treatment

• Antibiotics. Your doctor will prescribe a combination of antibiotics to start immediately. After receiving your lab test results, your doctor might adjust your prescription to better match what’s causing the infection. You’ll likely follow up with your doctor after three days to make sure the treatment is working. Be sure to take all of your medication, even if you start to feel better after a few days.
• Treatment for your partner. To prevent reinfection with an STI, your sexual partner or partners should be examined and treated. Infected partners might not have any noticeable symptoms.
• Temporary abstinence. Avoid sexual intercourse until treatment is completed and symptoms have resolved.