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Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease & STDs
What is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?
There are
some complications and effects of sexually transmitted diseases that affect only
women and not men. One of these effects is the
development of pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID. Pelvic inflammatory disease is generally the
result of an undiagnosed STD, most often Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
It can also occur from any type of vaginal procedure - including childbirth or
abortion. A prior episode of PID
increases the risk of incurring another since the reproductive organs may be
damaged from the first bout.
Pelvic
inflammatory disease is an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes (in which
eggs are carried to the uterus from the ovaries) and ovaries. Damage can occur to the fallopian tubes and
surrounding tissues of the uterus and ovaries.
Unfortunate results like ectopic pregnancy, infertility, abscesses and
chronic pain often accompany PID.
Who Is Susceptible to PID?
Sexually
active women in childbearing years, particularly those under 25 are more prone
to develop PID than those over 25. The fact that the cervix of teenage girls
and young women is not fully matured puts young women under the age of 25 at
increased susceptibility to the STDs that are linked to PID. The
more sexual partners a woman has, the greater her chances of contracting PID
since she is more exposed to the infectious diseases which cause PID.
Douching is
also a high contributor since research has indicated that douching alters the
vaginal flora in harmful ways, removing the organisms that live in the vagina
and forcing bacteria into the reproductive organs. There is an increased risk at the time of
insertion of an intrauterine device compared with using other contraceptives or
none at all. This risk is lessened
considerably if a woman is tested and treated, if necessary, for STDs before an
IUD is inserted.
Symptoms of PID
As with
many sexually transmitted diseases, symptoms of PID can vary from severe to
none at all. A woman infected with
chlamydial infection may experience either mild symptoms or nothing at all, and
at the same time serious problems are being caused in her reproductive
organs. As a result of this, PID can go
undetected by both women and their medical providers about two thirds of the
time. A common symptom is lower
abdominal pain, and other symptoms can include fever, a foul-smelling vaginal discharge, pain
during intercourse and during urination, irregular mensus and in rare
instances, pain in the right upper abdomen. Testing is the best method to detect PID.
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