Lively Women

STD Awareness Month: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

by Kristen King on April 27th, 2008

In honor of STD Awareness Month, sponsored by the American Social Health Association (ASHA) and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), your favorite women’s health blog is going to talk about some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and infections over the last few days of April.

What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?

PID is an infection of the female reproductive organs. It can be extremely painful and can cause lasting damage to the reproductive tract, possibly leading to future fertility problems.

How Can I Get PID?

PID frequently results from untreated STDs such as chlamydia or gonorrhea. It can also occur when bacteria travels up a contraceptive device (like a diaphragm) or when introduced by instruments during a gynecologic exam, giving birth, or having an abortion, though these are considerably less common sources.

How Do I Know if I Have PID?

Although it’s possible to have PID without knowing it, most women have symptoms primarily including abdominal pain, pain during sex, vaginal discharge, fever, and nausea/vomiting. Other symptoms may include difficulty becoming pregnant or pregnancy complications.

How Do I Treat PID?

You don’t. Go to the doctor immediately if you notice any of the symptoms. The sooner you begin treatment, the lower your likelihood of having long-term negative effects from PID. If your case of PID is mild, oral antibiotics are a very common treatment. If you’re really sick, you may be hospitalized to receive intravenous antibiotics and for observation to make sure you don’t get sicker. You may also be hospitalized if you’re young (ie, under 18), pregnant, or have other concurrent illnesses like an immune system deficiency.

Is PID Contagious?

Welllllll… The bacteria that cause PID are usually the same bacteria that cause chlamydia or gonorrhea. So chances are, if you have PID, your partner’s got one of those. So your partner should be treated, or you’ll keep getting it. Only women get PID, so if you’re sexually active with men, it’s not like you’re going to give it to your guy. If you’re sexually active with women, you should both be tested to figure out who’s got what and knock everything out with appropriate treatment.

How Can I Prevent PID?

The best way to prevent any sexually transmitted disease or infection is abstinence. The next best way is monogamy with a monogamous partner (who, presumably, has a clean bill of health). And the next best way is to use a condom every single time. No matter what. Period. And if there’s no condom, there’s no contact. End of discussion.

Sources:

• Mayo Clinic: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• FamilyDoctor.org: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• American Social Health Association: PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE (PID)

Tags: womens health blog, womens health, women, woman, health, std, sti, sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection, std awareness month, signs, symptoms, how do I know if i have, could i have, i think i have, how do i get, how do i treat, how do you prevent, pelvic inflammatory disease, PID, lively women, kristen king

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POSTED IN: Awareness, Prevention, Relationships, Sex