Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease | NHS inform Home Illnesses and conditions Symptoms and self-help Tests and treatments Healthy living Care, support and rights Scotlands Service Directory 0 Home Illnesses and conditions Sexual and reproductive Pelvic inflammatory disease Pelvic inflammatory disease British Sign Language (BSL) |  | Polski | Romn | slovenina Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection. It affects the female reproductive system including the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Symptoms of PID PID often does not cause any obvious symptoms. Most symptoms are mild, making it difficult to diagnose. Symptoms include: pain around the pelvis or lower tummy discomfort or pain during sex that is felt deep inside the pelvis pain when peeing bleeding between periods or after sex heavy periods painful periods unusual vaginal discharge Less common symptoms include: severe tummy pain a high temperature (fever) feeling and being sick When to get medical advice Speak to your GP practice or local sexual health clinic if: you have symptoms of PID youre worried about your symptoms Testing for PID If you think you might have PID, get checked for free by: booking an appointment at your local sexual health service contacting your GP practice for an appointment What does a PID test involve? There is no single test for diagnosing PID. Your doctor or nurse will discuss your symptoms before you have an internal examination. This shouldnt be painful, but you may experience some discomfort. When your doctor examines you, theyll look for tenderness in your pelvic region and an abnormal vaginal discharge. The doctor will usually take swabs from inside your vagina and cervix. These will be sent to a lab for analysis. However, a swab test cant be relied on to diagnose PID, as some women with PID have a negative swab result. You may have an ultrasound scan. Scans can identify severe PID but will not show up mild disease. Its possible to have a normal scan and still have PID. Treatment for PID If its diagnosed at an early stage, oral antibiotics will treat PID. Youll probably be given these to take for at least 2 weeks. In more severe cases, you may be admitted to hospital for observation and treatment with antibiotic injections. Always see your doctor or nurse if you think you might have PID, as the sooner you are treated, the better. If youre given treatment, always make sure that you take all of your antibiotics and finish the entire course. Your partner(s) should also be treated and you should avoid sex until your treatment is completed. How PID is passed on Most cases of PID are caused by a bacterial infection thats spread from the vagina or the cervix to the reproductive organs higher up. Many different types of bacteria can cause PID. However, most cases are the result of a chlamydia or gonorrhoea infection. In some cases, the cause of the infection that leads to PID is unknown. Such cases may be the result of normally harmless bacteria found in the vagina. These bacteria can sometimes get past the cervix and into the reproductive organs. Complications of PID If left untreated, PID can cause serious conditions including: pelvic abscesses long-term pelvic pain, or pelvic pain that keeps coming back reduced fertility or infertility ectopic pregnancy How to prevent PID The best way to reduce your risk of STIs is to practice safer sex . This means using a condom for vaginal, anal and oral sex. STIs If you have been diagnosed with PID you should get tested for all STIs including: chlamydia gonorrhoea syphilis Find your local sexual health clinic Source: Scottish Government - Opens in new browser window Last updated: 26 February 2024 How can we improve this page? Help us improve NHS inform Thank You Your feedback has been received Dont include personal information e.g. name, location or any personal health conditions. Email Address e.g. you@example.com Message Maximum of 500 characters Send feedback Other languages and formats British Sign Language (BSL) |  | Polski | Romn | slovenina British Sign Language (BSL) |  | Polski | Romn | slovenina Add this page to\n            Info For Me Also on NHS inform Book a sexual health appointment online Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (BSL) Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (Chinese) Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (Polish) Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (Romanian) Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (Slovak) Other health sites BASHH: sexual health NHS inform About NHS inform Editorial policy Contact us Webchat Give feedback about NHS inform Info for Me tool Terms and conditions Privacy and cookies policy Freedom of information (FOI) Accessibility Other languages and formats  2023 NHS 24  v1.1.1.17852