Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), is a general term for an infection of the female reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries). It is a common but serious condition that can lead to absesses, infertility and chronic pelvic pain.
FACT
Each year, more than 1 million women suffer an acute episode of PID and more than 100,000 women become infertile as a result of PID every year.
Unfortunately, bacterial vaginosis (BV), a very common vaginal infection (which is not sexually transmitted) is sometimes hard to recognize or diagnose, and many women mistake it for a yeast infection, or do not notice it's mild symptoms at all. BV can cause PID if left untreated.
What Causes PID?
PID is caused by leaving certain STD's or vaginal infections, such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Bacterial Vaginosis, Yeast Infections and Trichomoniasis untreated.
Once a person experiences one PID infection, they are prone to having recurrences, because the damage from the first episode leaves the organs weakened.
Douching, or intrauterine birth control devices can increase the risk of developing PID, because it pushes bacteria up into the uterus.
Women under 25 are more suseptible to PID, because the cervix is not yet fully matured and is more suseptible to infection.
What Are The Symptoms of PID?
Some women do not have any symptoms at all, while others have extremely severe symptoms.
Some symptoms include:
Lower abdominal pain
Intermittent (occasional) fevers
A vaginal dischrage that has a foul odor
Painful Intercourse
Painful urination
Irregular menstrual bleeding
and rarely
Pain in the upper right abdomen
What Can Happen If It Is Left Untreated?
PID, when left untreated, alows bacteria to invade the inner reproductive organs, leading to scarring, pain, and infertility.
1 in 10 women who experiences PID becomes infertile.
Almost all women who have experienced PID are left with chronic pelvis pain for the rest of their lives.
What If I Think I Have PID and How Do I Find Out?
PID is extrememly hard to diagnose, because of the vague and usually mild symptoms.
Many health care providers miss PID, or ignore it as a diagnosis.
Most episodes go untreated, because there is no test for PID
If symptoms are present, or if an STD linked to PID is present, your Dr. can order an ultrasound (either internal or external), which is a painless procedure used to view your internal organs. This is a non-invasive way to look at your reproductive organs to see if there are any absesses or enlargments.
PID cannot always be seen on an ultrasound, so a laparoscpy may be needed to confirm a diagnosis. A laparoscopy is a simple, minimally invasive surgical procedure, in which the Dr. makes a small incision in the abdoman and views the internal organs with a small camera.
Treatments for PID are antibiotics, however, the damage that is done by the infection prior to being treated is irriversible.
For More Info:
The Center for Disease Control