Pelvic inflammatory disease (patient information): Difference between revisions

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==What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?==
==What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?==
Prompt treatment can prevent complications and have a good prognosis
Prompt treatment can prevent complications and have a good prognosis.


==Possible complications==
==Possible complications==

Revision as of 15:37, 2 January 2013

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Pelvic inflammatory disease

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Pelvic inflammatory disease?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Prevention

Pelvic inflammatory disease On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Pelvic inflammatory disease

Videos on Pelvic inflammatory disease

FDA on Pelvic inflammatory disease

CDC on Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease in the news

Blogs on Pelvic inflammatory disease

Directions to Hospitals Treating Pelvic inflammatory disease

Risk calculators and risk factors for Pelvic inflammatory disease

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Assistant Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alexandra M. Palmer

Overview

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a general term for infection of the uterus lining, fallopian tubes, or ovaries.

What are the symptoms of Pelvic inflammatory disease?

The most common symptoms of PID include:

Other symptoms that may occur with PID:

Note: There may be no symptoms. People who experience an ectopic pregnancy or infertility often have had silent PID, which is usually caused by chlamydia infection.

What causes Pelvic inflammatory disease?

Most cases of pelvic inflammatory disease are caused by bacteria that move from the vagina or cervix into the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, or pelvis. The most common cause of PID is sexual contact without using a condom or other protection. This is called a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two bacteria that cause most cases of PID. However, bacteria may also enter the body during some surgical or office procedures, such as:

In the United States, nearly 1 million women develop PID each year. About 1 in 8 sexually active adolescent girls will develop PID before age 20.

Who is at highest risk?

Risk factors include:

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if:

Diagnosis

You may have a fever and abdominal tenderness. A pelvic examination may show:

Lab tests that look for signs of infection are:

Other tests include:

Treatment options

Your doctor will often start you on antibiotics while waiting for your test results. If you are diagnosed with milder PID, you will usually be given an antibiotic injection or shot, and then sent home with antibiotic pills to take for up to 2 weeks. You will need to closely follow-up with your health care provider. More severe cases of PID may require you to stay in the hospital. Antibiotics are first given by IV, and then later by mouth. Which antibiotic is used depends on the type of infection. A number of different antibiotics may be used for treating this type of infection. Some are safe in pregnant women. Sexual partners must be treated to prevent passing the infection back and forth. You and your partner(s) must finish all of the antibiotics. Use condoms until you both have finished taking your antibiotics. Complicated cases that do not improve with antibiotics may need surgery.

Where to find medical care for Pelvic inflammatory disease?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Pelvic inflammatory disease

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Prompt treatment can prevent complications and have a good prognosis.

Possible complications

PID infections can cause scarring of the pelvic organs, possibly leading to:

Prevention

Preventive measures include:

  • Get prompt treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
  • Practice safer sex behaviors. The only absolute way to prevent an STD is to not have sex (abstinence). Having a sexual relationship with only one person (monogamous) can reduce the risk. Use a condom every time you have sex.

You can reduce the risk of PID by getting regular STD screening exams. Couples can be tested for STDs before starting to have sex. Testing can detect STDs that may not be producing symptoms yet. All sexually active women ages 20 - 25 and younger should be screened each year for chlamydia and gonorrhea. All women with new sexual partners or multiple partners should also be screened.

Videos

Patient Education

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Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000888.htm Template:WSTemplate:WH