Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (cont.)
What are the signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease?
Symptoms of PID vary from none to severe. When PID is caused by chlamydial
infection, a woman may experience mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, while
serious damage is being done to her reproductive organs. Because of vague
symptoms, PID goes unrecognized by women and their health care providers about
two thirds of the time. Women who have symptoms of PID most commonly have lower
abdominal pain. Other signs and symptoms include fever, unusual
vaginal
discharge that may have a foul odor, painful intercourse, painful urination,
irregular menstrual bleeding, and pain in the right upper abdomen (rare).
What are the complications of pelvic inflammatory disease?
Prompt and appropriate treatment can help prevent complications of PID.
Without treatment, PID can cause permanent damage to the female reproductive
organs. Infection-causing bacteria can silently invade the fallopian tubes,
causing normal tissue to turn into scar tissue. This scar tissue blocks or
interrupts the normal movement of eggs into the uterus. If the fallopian tubes
are totally blocked by scar tissue, sperm cannot fertilize an egg, and the woman
becomes infertile. Infertility also can occur if the fallopian tubes are
partially blocked or even slightly damaged. About one in eight women with PID
becomes infertile, and if a woman has multiple episodes of PID, her chances of
becoming infertile increase.
In addition, a partially blocked or slightly damaged fallopian tube may cause
a fertilized egg to remain in the fallopian tube. If this fertilized egg begins
to grow in the tube as if it were in the uterus, it is called an ectopic
pregnancy. As it grows, an ectopic pregnancy can rupture the fallopian tube
causing severe pain, internal bleeding, and even death.
Scarring in the fallopian tubes and other pelvic structures can also cause
chronic pelvic pain (pain that lasts for months or even years). Women with
repeated episodes of PID are more likely to suffer infertility, ectopic
pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain.
Next: How is pelvic inflammatory disease treated? »
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