What is pelvic inflammatory
disease?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious infection that
women can get in their reproductive organs. It most often starts in the fallopian
tubes but may also involve the ovaries
and the uterus.
PID usually occurs when an infection of the cervix
spreads upward through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes. PID
can permanently damage the fallopian tubes. If you ever have PID, you
will have a higher risk of ectopic
pregnancy (pregnancy in the fallopian tube). You may also have difficulty getting pregnant later
on.
How do you get PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease is usually a sexually
transmitted disease. But a girl who isn't sexually active can also
get PID. Usually, that happens when an infection spreads to the
fallopian tubes from another infection in the belly such as a burst appendix.
The sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea
and chlamydia
can become very severe and turn into PID. back
to top
Who can get PID?
Anybody can get it, but it's more common among certain groups of
people who:
- are young when they have intercourse for
the first time
- are younger than 25
- are unmarried
- have no children
- have many sexual partners
- have had new sexual partners recently
back
to top
What can I do to avoid PID?
You can lower your chances of getting PID by using condoms
during intimate
sexual contact and sexual
intercourse. That's because condoms keep the semen
from entering your vagina.
Semen contains the harmful organisms that cause infection. back
to top
How do I know if I have PID?
PID usually makes you feel very sick. You may get pain in your lower
belly and a fever. You may also have abnormal vaginal
discharge that has a different color or smell than your normal
discharge. Some girls have very mild symptoms, and do not even think
to see a doctor. Other girls become very sick, with a high fever and
severe pain in their lower bellies. back
to top
How can my health professional
tell if I have PID?
Your health professional will do a pelvic
exam to see if you have PID. Most girls who have PID will have
pain when the health professional touches their cervix.
Normally, touching your cervix would not bother you. But if you have
PID, even slight movement can be very painful.
Sometimes a collection of pus (called an abscess)
can form around the fallopian
tube and ovary
on one or both sides. This type of abscess is called a tubo-ovarian
abscess (TOA). It will give you a lot of pain on the side of your
belly where the infection is. If your health professional believes you
have a TOA, he or she will make an appointment for you to get an ultrasound
exam. If you have a TOA, it will show up on an ultrasound. back
to top
What tests will my health
professional do to figure out if I have PID?
It's not always easy for your health professional to figure out that
you have PID. A few tests will help tell the difference between PID
and other causes of belly pain and fever. These tests include:
- Pregnancy test. You should have a blood
pregnancy test if you have belly pain. It's very important
to know whether you have a pregnancy-related problem or PID. Also,
if you are pregnant, only certain medications can be used to treat
infection.
- Ultrasound. If you have a TOA, it can be
seen on an ultrasound.
Ultrasound can often show the difference between PID and appendicitis.
These two illnesses are hard to tell apart because they have many
of the same symptoms.
- Laparoscopy. Even after many tests are
done, it may still be hard to tell what's causing your belly pain
and fever. If so, your health professional may recommend a laparoscopy.
Laparoscopy is a type of minor surgery that only a doctor can do.
You will need to have general
anesthesia, and your doctor will insert a tiny scope through a
small cut below your belly button. Then he or she can look at the
organs of your belly and pelvis, including your uterus, fallopian
tubes, ovaries and appendix. Laparoscopy almost always helps the
doctor make the right diagnosis. back
to top
How do I get rid of PID?
If you have PID, you must take antibiotics,
because it won't go away by itself. The sooner it's treated, the less
likely it is to cause permanent damage to your fallopian
tubes.
PID can be treated with oral
antibiotics or antibiotics that are given to you through an intravenous
(IV) tube. Your health professional will decide which way to give
you the medicine, depending on how sick you are. If you're not very
ill, you may only need to take oral antibiotics for 10 to 14 days.
If you're very sick, with a high fever, chills, or severe pain in your
lower belly, you may need to be admitted to the hospital for IV
antibiotics. If you have a tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA), you'll
definitely need IV antibiotics. back
to top
What if I don't get better
after taking the medicine?
Most girls will get better after getting treated with antibiotics. But
some girls, especially those who have a TOA, may not be cured with IV
antibiotics. About 20 to 25% of girls who have a TOA will need
surgery. The infected fallopian
tube and ovary
must be removed. If you have a severe case of PID, with TOAs on both
sides of your body, all the reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian
tubes, and ovaries) must be removed to cure the infection. back
to top
Can PID cause other problems?
The most common difficulty of PID is that it causes your fallopian
tubes to become permanently scarred. If you have scarred fallopian
tubes, you can have problems getting pregnant later in life, or you
might develop an ectopic
pregnancy. Even a mild infection can damage your fallopian
tubes. That's why it is so important to get PID treated early and to
take all of the antibiotics prescribed for you. back
to top
|
