Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Fast Facts
Reviewed By:
Joanne Poje Tomasulo, M.D., ACOG
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection of a woman's reproductive organs.
- Left untreated, or treated too late, pelvic inflammatory disease can damage a woman's reproductive organs, which may make it difficult or impossible to conceive.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1 million women in the United States are diagnosed annually with pelvic inflammatory disease. It is responsible for 100,000 cases of infertility annually, making it the most common cause of female infertility.
- PID can increase the risk of pregnancy complications.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease is also the most common cause of ectopic pregnancy, a dangerous condition in which a fertilized egg implants and grows in a fallopian tube instead of the uterus.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease can occur in any of the organs in the pelvis. These include the uterus and its linings and walls, the fallopian tubes and the ovaries.
- Most cases of pelvic inflammatory disease are the result of infection by the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) gonorrhea and chlamydia.
- More than 80 percent of cases of pelvic inflammatory disease are caused by STDs.
- In 2006, more than 1 million chlamydial infections and more than 358,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the CDC.
- If you have had PID once, you have an increased risk of developing it again should you be exposed to another STD.
- Sexually active women under 25 years old are at greatest risk for developing pelvic inflammatory disease. This is because they are at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases and their stage of physical development makes them more susceptible to infection.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease is extremely rare among women who are not menstruating and those who are not sexually active.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease is often a "silent" disease, with most women experiencing mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Even when no symptoms are present, PID infections can cause serious organ damage.
- When symptoms do occur, they may include abdominal pain, unusual vaginal discharge or fever. Since the same symptoms may occur with other conditions, pelvic inflammatory disease can be difficult to diagnose.
- If you have severe symptoms, your doctor may conduct a laparoscopic examination. During this procedure, the doctor inserts a slender, lighted tube through an incision in your abdomen and examines your pelvic organs.
- Women who seek treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease usually receive antibiotics immediately, even before a diagnosis is confirmed. This is because the importance of avoiding damage to reproductive organs outweighs any risk from taking antibiotics.
- Most women can be treated on an outpatient basis with oral or injected antibiotics. They can go home the same day that they receive treatment.
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