Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. Are you at risk?

July 3, 2020

3 min read

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection in a woman's reproductive system. The main cause is sexually transmitted infections that spread throughout the reproductive tract, including fallopian tubes, ovaries, and uterus. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), about 4.4% of women in the U.S. reported having pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) at some point during their reproductive years (ages 18-44). About 2.5 million women in the U.S. will have PID at some point during their life.

PID can develop over a long period of time, and some people never experience signs or symptoms. If they do, the symptoms can include:

Abnormal or heavy vaginal discharge
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Painful intercourse
Pain in the lower abdomen
Fever and chills
Painful, frequent urination

Some of these symptoms can indicate an STI (sexually transmitted infection) which may not have spread throughout your reproductive system. If you have these symptoms, you should stop having sex and seek medical help as soon as possible.

Are you at risk of PID? The most common cause of PID is an STI that enters your reproductive system through your cervix. Normally, your cervix protects your uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries from outside infections. But if it's disturbed or open, which can occur during your period, after childbirth, after a miscarriage, or after an abortion, bacteria can enter and develop PID. Medical procedures can also introduce bacteria into your reproductive tract. Although it's rare, some women have developed PID following the insertion of an IUD.

Specific risk factors for PID include:

Being sexually active with multiple partners
Being younger than 25 and also sexually active
Being in a relationship with a partner who has multiple partners
Having unprotected sex
Regular douching, especially with scented products
Having a history of an STI or PID

The most common STIs that can lead to PID are chlamydia and gonorrhea. Up to half of PID cases come from these two types of common bacterial STIs. PID comes from sexually transmitted bacteria, not viruses (like the HPV virus). If you're at-risk, you should be tested regularly for STIs.

PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive tract. It is one of the main causes of infertility, because the infection can damage your fallopian tubes and other parts of your uterus and cervix making it impossible to become pregnant. Other problems caused by PID include ectopic pregnancies, chronic pain, and a tubo-ovarian abscess. The abscess is a collection of pus that develops in the fallopian tubes or ovaries, and it could be life-threatening.

To reduce your risk of PID, you should practice safe sex. Use condoms every time and ask about the sexual history of a potential partner. Use barrier methods of contraception that will protect you against STIs and pregnancy. Get regular screening tests for STIs and don't hesitate to ask your partner to get tested and treated, too. Finally, don't use vaginal douching products. They destroy your body's natural balance of helpful bacteria along with the pH balance in your vagina, which can allow harmful bacteria in, leading to PID. Although the CDC reports that rates of PID are dropping, PID is still a major risk for sexually-active young women. PID can be caused by infections other than gonorrhea and chlamydia, and it can develop without symptoms, so take steps to protect yourself from this serious infection.