Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Written by Jane Carrasco
What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a general term for a bacterial infection of a woman's reproductive organs. Most infections are caused by the same organisms that cause sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia. Infection spreads upward from the cervix to the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and surrounding structures.
Infection of the fallopian tubes may lead to scarring and adhesions (bands of scar tissue) that can obstruct the tubes, causing infertility. The chances are also increased that an egg may implant outside the uterus and cause a dangerous condition called an ectopic pregnancy.
Symptoms Of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Usually PID bacteria enter the vagina during sex or can enter the body after an invasive gynecological procedure. PID can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Some women can be very ill and have severe pain and fever while others have no obvious symptoms. Unfortunately, this makes PID not always easy to diagnose and prompt treatment of PID is important. Symptoms of PID include:
* many cases have no symptoms
# persistent cramps
# pain during or after sexual intercourse
# tenderness in the lower abdomen
# temperature of 102-104 degrees F
# unusual vaginal bleeding or foul smelling discharge
# chills
# chronic recurrences
# chronic pain
# depression
Disclaimer