Topic: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
Description
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is infection of the reproductive organs of women. This may include infection of:
- the womb (the uterus)
- the opening of the womb into the vagina (the cervix)
- the fallopian tubes (these are the tiny tubes between the ovary and the womb - eggs released by the ovary pass through these tubes)
- the ovaries
- other abdominal organs eg. appendix.
Symptoms
Women can have PID without any signs or symptoms.
Women may notice:
- pain low in the abdomen
- pain during sex
- abnormal periods (women on the pill may notice this too)
- bleeding after sex
- abnormal discharge
- fevers
- some women become very sick and have severe pain.
If you think you may have been at risk of getting a sexually transmissible infection, you may be at risk of having PID. Have a sexual health check to be sure.
Transmission
Nearly all PID is caused by sexually transmissible infections (STIs). A woman can get these infections though unprotected sexual intercourse.
Treatment
The doctor can test for PID by:
- examining and taking swabs from your vagina and cervix
- testing urine for chlamydia and gonorrhoea
- feeling the cervix, uterus and ovaries for any sign of tenderness or pain
- doing blood tests.
If you find out that you do have PID, anyone you have had sex with in the past few months will also need to be tested and treated. This is to make sure that they are cleared of the infection and to prevent you from being re-infected. If you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about telling your partner or partners, the doctor or nurse can contact them. This is a confidential process and your name will not be mentioned. This is very important for your health, for your partner’s health, and the health of other people they have sex with.
PID is treated with antibiotics. Sometimes three different antibiotics are given.
To ensure the infection has been cured:
- it is important to take all the tablets
- you will be asked to return to your doctor or clinic for follow-up appointments – this will include checking that signs of infection are settling. After you have finished the treatment, there will be tests to check the infection is cured.
- it is best not to have sex until the tablets are finished and you have been tested to check the infection is cured (even if you feel better).
Sexual partners who have the infection should be treated at the same time, otherwise you may get the infection again.
If a woman is very sick with PID, she may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
Health Outcome
PID can cause severe illness in a woman, requiring treatment in hospital. However, sometimes PID can occur without causing any signs or symptoms.The woman may not feel sick and may not notice any change in her body. PID is a very serious disease because it can lead to long-term problems. Women who have had PID may have difficulty becoming pregnant and if they do become pregnant, there may be problems with the pregnancy.
Sexually transmitted PID often causes mild or unnoticeable infection. Women who have had PID (often as teenagers or young adults) may find later in life they are unable to become pregnant. PID is not uncommon. It is a major cause of infertility (difficulty becoming pregnant) in women in Queensland.
The infections that can cause PID include:
- gonorrhoea
- chlamydia
- other bacteria.
Without treatment, some women with PID may get worse and become very sick. In other women, the signs of infection go away. However, PID can cause the fallopian tubes to become blocked with scar tissue. This can leave a woman unable to become pregnant. If a woman does become pregnant, the scar tissue can cause the pregnancy to grow in the fallopian tube rather than in the womb. This type of pregnancy is called an ectopic pregnancy. Such pregnancies cannot grow as a normal pregnancy and may need to be removed by an operation. PID in pregnancy can lead to a miscarriage, illness after birth or premature labour.
Prevention
Practise safe sex. Always using condoms when you have vaginal or anal sex is the best way to avoid getting PID. Using water-based lubricant with condoms is recommended.
Remember that using condoms not only protects you from STIs, it also is an effective form of contraception. If you do use other forms of contraception (eg. the pill, diaphragm and Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD)), use condoms as well.
Help and Assistance
For more information on pelvic inflammatory disease, you can talk to:
- your local doctor
- your local sexual health clinic
- your local family planning clinic
Other Resources
Queensland Health Sexual Health website
Related Content
Gonorrhoea fact sheet
Chlamydia fact sheet
Safe Sex fact sheet
Last Updated: 24th March, 2009
Date Valid to: 24th March, 2010
