Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease or PID is an infection.  It is an infection of the female organs:
 uterus
 fallopian tubes
 cervix
 ovaries.

Sometimes the woman does not feel sick.

The signs of being sick with this sickness can be:
 lower stomach pain
 vaginal discharge
 fever
 burning feeling with urination
 pain with sex
 abnormal bleeding.

If this illness is not treated it can prevent a woman from having children.  It can kill the unborn child and it can be very painful. This disease can be treated and the infection can be cured.

Signs and symptoms 

A woman with PID can feel sick. Sometimes a woman with PID does not feel sick. A woman with PID can have a fever, pain when the belly is touched, lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, painful sex, or unusual bleeding.

Cause 
The infection is caused by microorganisms that enter the body through the vagina during sex.  The microorganisms travel up thorough uterus and into the inside of the body. There are many microorganisms that cause infection in this way, such as:
 Gonorrhea
 Chlamydia
 Some mycoplasmas

Diagnosis 

Medical workers use different tests to find the infection.  They can perform a medical exam to see evidence of pus and find painful areas.  They can use a microscope to see the microorganisms causing the infection. A blood test can detect PID. Two thirds of women were not aware they had PID.  Even with no signs of infection, PID can cause serious harm.

Similar symptoms 

Other causes can produce signs to PID symptoms including: appendicitis, a complicated pregnancy, swollen or twisted ovaries and endometriosis. A woman is more likely to get Pelvic inflammatory disease if she has had it before.  She is more likely to have the infection if she has recently had sex, started menstruation, had an Intrauterine device put inside her uterus or if her sex partner has a sexually transmitted infection.

Prevention 

Medical testing for sexually transmitted infections is important for prevention. The risk of getting PID can be lowered by:
 Using condoms
 Seeking medical help if you are experiencing symptoms of PID.
 Seeking medical help after learning that your sex partner or someone you had sex with in the past had a sexually transmitted infection.
 Seeking medical exams regularly to test for PID with no symptoms.
 Asking your current sex partner if they have an infection.  Insist they be tested and cured before sex.
 Avoiding sex after delivery, miscarriage, or abortion.
 Practicing abstinence

Treatment 

If your medical provider thinks you are infected, treatment is usually started right away. This is because  serious results may happen from delayed treatment. Sometimes the medical provider will use a test to help find the infection. Curing the infection with antibiotic medications is normal.  Improvement should occur quickly but if not, the woman is told to find more medical attention. Treating sex partners for possible infections will help in treatment and prevention of getting the infection again.

The spread of the disease 
About 106 million cases of PID occurred around the world in 2008. About 1.5% of young women yearly get the infection. One million women in the United States get PID every year.

Being cured

Although the PID infection may be cured the damage from the infection may not go away. This makes finding the infection early so important. Treatment by medical providers will prevent damage to the female reproductive organs.

References

Other websites
 NIH/Medline
 CDC
 Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID; Salpingitis, Endometritis)

Diseases and disorders of the female reproductive system
Diseases caused by bacteria