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.
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.
