In some cases, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) may go away without medical treatment. This depends on the body’s immune system, but such cases have a high chance of relapse. Hence, it is always advisable to contact your doctor if you have symptoms. PID is a serious infection that can cause severe pain and infertility. Patients with PID may not have symptoms initially or may only have flu-like symptoms. Most women with PID do not even realize they have PID. This makes PID a challenging condition to diagnose. Untreated PID is sometimes life-threatening. The infection may spread to other parts of the body. The longer a patient has PID, the more likely it may become dangerous. It’s important to have any symptoms checked out by a doctor and get tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
What is the real meaning of PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the female reproductive organs that can damage parts of the female reproductive system (the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc.). PID happens when bacteria move from your vagina and cervix to other parts of the body. It can lead to severe and constant pain and other serious health problems such as infertility. PID may be used to refer to numerous more specific conditions, including:
- Endometriosis (a condition in which the tissues that normally grow in the womb grow outside the womb)
- Salpingitis (inflammation of the tubes in the womb)
- Parametritis (inflammation of the tissues that surround the womb)
- Oophoritis (inflammation of one of the ovaries)
- Tubo-ovarian abscess (pus in the fallopian tubes or ovaries)
- Pelvic peritonitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the pelvis)
What are the common symptoms of PID?
Below are a few common symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID):
- An unusual discharge from the vagina
- Bad vaginal odor
- Fever (100.4°F or higher)
- Chills
- Joint pain
- Burning sensation during urination
- Pain in the lower abdomen
- Pain and/or bleeding during sex
- Bleeding between periods
- Nausea and vomiting
- Low backache
- Generalized weakness
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Infertility
Rarely, patients may also complain of pain in the upper right side of the stomach
What are the common causes of PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is more common in young, sexually active women. The common causes of PID include:
- Untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea are the most likely causes of PID.
- Having more than one sex partner or having a sex partner who has multiple sex partners can cause PID.
- Having sex during menstruation or just afterward because the cervix (entrance to the uterus) may not be protected, and it is easier for the bacteria that can cause PID to enter the uterus during menstruation.
- Recurrent vaginal douching (washing the vagina with water or a mixture of fluids to eliminate odors and clean the vagina) can push bacteria into the reproductive organs and cause PID. Douching may also hide the signs of PID.
- Smoking impairs the immune system, and it cannot fight against an infection of the uterus as efficiently as it would otherwise do.
- Rarely, PID may develop after a miscarriage or termination of pregnancy, after having a baby, or after a procedure such as insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) or coil.
- Having genetic factors that may influence the risk of PID
- Women who have already had PID are at a higher risk of another episode.
SLIDESHOW
The 14 Most Common Causes of Fatigue See SlideshowWhat are the complications of PID?
Some of the complications of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are as follows:
- Long-term pelvic/abdominal pain
- Formation of a scar tissue both outside and inside the fallopian tubes that can lead to tubal blockage
- Ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb)
- Infertility (inability to get pregnant)
- Cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder)
- Recurrent episodes of PID
- Pain during sexual activity
- Heavy loss of blood due to PID may lead to anemia
- Emotional distress
- Death (rare)
How is PID treated?
Treatment may include painkillers and antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea, chlamydia, streptococci, and other gram-negative bacteria. PID is usually treated with at least two antibiotics that are effective against a wide range of infectious agents. These antibiotics can be given by mouth or injection. Women with severe PID or pregnant women may need to stay in the hospital and get antibiotics through a vein (intravenous). Sometimes, surgery may be needed to drain a pocket of infection or an abscess. Aggressive treatment of PID is recommended for women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who may be more likely to require surgical intervention.
(https://healthengine.com.au/info/pelvic-inflammatory-disease-pid#Prognosis)
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Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
What Is a Pelvic Exam?
A pelvic exam is a routine exam for women. Physicians use a pelvic exam to look for conditions in particular organs of a woman's body including the genital organs, uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, and rectum. Pelvic exams can evaluate several conditions. Some of these conditions include sexually-transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, Trichomonas, human papillomavirus, and Chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, urinary tract infections, abnormal uterine bleeding, fibroid tumors, ovarian cysts, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, rectal bleeding, and endometriosis.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) Quiz
What are risk factors for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and how is it spread? Take this quiz to test your knowledge of this condition.
Can You Have a Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Without Having an STD?
In about 10% of cases, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) may occur without having an STD. The majority of PID is sexually transmitted. The most common causative microorganisms of PID are sexually transmitted and include gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas and mycoplasma.
What Is a Pelvic Osteotomy for an Acetabular Dysplasia?
An osteotomy is a surgical procedure that involves cutting and reshaping of a bone. A pelvic osteotomy is a means by which the hip is stabilized. This aids in preventing early osteoarthritis in patients with acetabular dysplasia. A pelvic osteotomy is performed to reshape a shallow hip socket to better accommodate the ball of the hip joint (femoral head).
Pelvic Pain (in Women and Men)
Pelvic pain is described as pain, usually in the lower pelvic area. Causes of acute and chronic pelvic pain in women include endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, menstrual cramps, ovarian cysts, tumors, or fibroids, ovulation, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or congestion syndrome, vulva pain, and rarely cancer. Pelvic pain during pregnancy may be caused by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy), preterm or premature labor, and placental abruption. Causes of pelvic pain in men include prostate problems, testicular pain, and groin pain. Causes of pelvic pain in men and women include kidney stones, appendicitis, UTIs, IBD, and STDs.
Signs and symptoms associated with pelvic pain depend on the cause, but man include pain during or after sexual intercourse, abdominal pain, distension, and tenderness, diarrhea, constipation, vaginal discharge or bleeding, blood, pus, in the urine, cloudy urine, blood in the stool, stool color changes, and low back pain. The cause of pelvic pain is diagnosed by a physical exam, blood tests, and imaging procedures. Treatment for pelvic pain depends on the cause.
Pelvic Pain Slideshow
There are many causes of pelvic pain and pain in the lower abdomen in women. Pelvic pain near the female lower abdomen has symptoms that can be uncomfortable, but luckily, there are treatments for pelvic pain if you can identify the cause.
What Are the Symptoms of PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the female reproductive organs that can damage parts of the female reproductive system (uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc). Usually, patients may not realize that they have PID because symptoms may be mild, or they may not experience any symptoms.