Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Symptoms

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Symptoms

Even if you have pelvic inflammatory disease, you might not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they could be severe. The most common symptom of pelvic inflammatory disease is pain in your lower abdomen. Other symptoms that you may or may not have include

- Fever
- Vaginal discharge that may have an odor
- Painful intercourse
- Painful urination
- Irregular menstrual bleeding
- Pain in the upper right abdomen (rare)

Sometimes pelvic inflammatory disease comes on suddenly with extreme pain and fever, especially if it is caused by gonorrhea.

What are the signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease?

Many women don't know they have pelvic inflammatory disease because they don't have any symptoms. For women who have them, symptoms can range from mild to severe. The most common symptom of pelvic inflammatory disease is pain in your lower abdomen (stomach area). Other symptoms include:

- Fever (100.4°F or higher)

- Vaginal discharge that may smell foul

- Painful sex

- Painful urination

- Irregular periods (monthly bleeding)

- Pain in the upper right abdomen

Pelvic inflammatory disease can come on fast with extreme pain and fever, especially if it's caused by gonorrhea.

How to diagnose pelvic inflammatory disease

If you think that you may have pelvic inflammatory disease, see a doctor right away. If you have pain in your lower abdomen (stomach area), your doctor will perform a physical exam. This will include a pelvic (internal) exam. Your doctor will check for:

- Abnormal discharge from your vagina or cervix

- Lumps called abscesses near your ovaries and tubes

- Tenderness or pain in your pelvic organs

Your doctor will also test you for STIs, including HIV and syphilis (SI-fuh-luhs), urinary tract infection, and if needed, pregnancy. If needed, your doctor may do other tests.

- Ultrasound (sonogram) — a test that uses sound waves to take pictures of the pelvic area.

- Endometrial (en-duh-MEE-tree-uhl) (uterine) biopsy — the doctor removes and tests a small piece of the endometrium (the inside lining of the womb).

- Laparoscopy (lap-uh-RAHS-kuh-pee) — the doctor inserts a small, lighted tube through your abdomen (stomach area) to look at your pelvic organs.

These tests will help your doctor find out if you have pelvic inflammatory disease, or if you have a different problem that looks like pelvic inflammatory disease.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Treatment

How is pelvic inflammatory disease treated?

Pelvic inflammatory disease can be cured with antibiotics (drugs that kill bacteria). Most of the time, at least two antibiotics are used that work against a wide range of bacteria. Your doctor will work with you to find the best treatment for you. You must take all your medicine, even if your symptoms go away. This helps to make sure your infection is fully cured. You should see your doctor again 2 to 3 days after starting treatment to make sure the antibiotics are working.

Without treatment, pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to severe problems like infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain.

Any damage done to your pelvic organs before you start treatment likely cannot be undone. Still, don't put off getting treatment. If you do, you may not be able to have children. If you think you may have pelvic inflammatory disease, see a doctor right away.

Your doctor may suggest going into the hospital to treat your pelvic inflammatory disease if you:

- Are very sick

- Are pregnant

- Don't respond to or cannot swallow pills. If this is the case, you will need intravenous (in the vein or IV) antibiotics.

- Have an abscess (sore) in a tube or ovary

If you still have symptoms or if the abscess doesn't go away after treatment, you may need surgery. Problems caused by pelvic inflammatory disease, such as constant pelvic pain and scarring, are often hard to treat. But, sometimes they get better after surgery.

What if my partner is infected with pelvic inflammatory disease?

Even if your sex partner doesn't have any symptoms, she or he could still be infected with bacteria that can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Take steps to protect yourself from being infected again.

- Encourage your sex partner(s) to get treated, even if she or he doesn't have symptoms.

- Don't have sex with a partner who hasn't been treated.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Prevention

How can pelvic inflammatory disease be prevented?

Pelvic inflammatory disease is most often caused by an STI that hasn't been treated. You can keep from getting pelvic inflammatory disease by not getting an STI.

- The best way to prevent an STI is to not have sex of any kind.

- Have sex with 1 partner who doesn't have any STIs.

- Use condoms every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Read and follow the directions on the package. Condoms, when used the right way, can lower your chances of getting an STI.

- Don't douche. Douching removes some of the normal bacteria in the vagina that protect you from infection. This makes it easier for you to get an STI.

- If you're having sex, ask your doctor to test you for STIs. STIs are easier to treat if they are found early.

- Learn the common symptoms of STIs. If you think you might have an STI, see your doctor right away.


Can pelvic inflammatory disease cause infertility?

The more times you have pelvic inflammatory disease, the more likely it is that you won't be able to get pregnant. When you have pelvic inflammatory disease, bacteria infect the tubes or cause inflammation of the tubes. This turns normal tissue into scar tissue. Scar tissue can block your tubes and make it harder to get pregnant. Even having just a little scar tissue can keep you from getting pregnant without infertility treatment.


What should I do if I think I have an STI (sexually transmitted disease)

If you think you may have an STI, see a doctor right away. You may feel scared or shy about asking for information or help. Keep in mind, the sooner you seek treatment, the less likely the STI will cause you severe harm. And the sooner you tell your sex partner(s) that you have an STI, the less likely they are to infect you again or spread the disease to others.

What is Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

What is Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)? Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with adhesions to nearby tissues and organs. This may lead to infections. PID is a vague term and can refer to viral, fungal, parasitic, though most often bacterial infections. PID should be classified by affected organs, the stage of the infection, and the organism(s) causing it. Although an STI is often the cause, many other routes are possible, including lymphatic, postpartum, postabortal (either miscarriage or abortion) or intrauterine device (IUD) related, and hematogenous spread. Two thirds of patients with laparoscopic evidence of previous PID were not aware they had Pelvic inflammatory disease.

Causes of pelvic inflammatory disease

A woman can get pelvic inflammatory disease if bacteria (germs) move up from her vagina and infect her pelvic organs. Many different types of bacteria can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. But, most cases of pelvic inflammatory disease are caused by bacteria that cause two common sexually transmitted infections (STIs, STDs) — gonorrhea (gah-nuh-REE-uh) and chlamydia (kluh-MI-dee-uh). It can take from a few days to a few months for an infection to travel up from the vagina to the pelvic organs.

You can get pelvic inflammatory disease without having an STI. Normal bacteria found in the vagina and on the cervix can sometimes cause pelvic inflammatory disease. No one is sure why this happens.


How common is pelvic inflammatory disease?

Each year in the United States, more than 1 million women have an episode of pelvic inflammatory disease. More than 100,000 women become infertile each year because of pelvic inflammatory disease. Also, many ectopic pregnancies that occur are due to problems from pelvic inflammatory disease.

Are some women more likely to get pelvic inflammatory disease?

Yes. You're more likely to get pelvic inflammatory disease if you:

- Have had an STI

- Are under 25 years of age and are having sex

- Have more than 1 sex partner

- Douche. Douching can push bacteria into the pelvic organs and cause infection. It can also hide the signs of an infection.

- Have an intrauterine device (IUD). You should get tested and treated for any infections before getting an IUD. This will lower your risk of getting pelvic inflammatory disease.