Summarize the following:
If you are experiencing any symptoms if PID and suspect that you might have PID, then see your family doctor or gynecologist as soon as you can. Your doctor will likely give you a physical (pelvic) exam, take a vaginal swab/sample, get your blood analyzed for signs of infection and possibly order imaging tests (ultrasound, CT scan or MRI) in order to rule out or confirm a diagnosis of PID. During a pelvic exam, your doctor will look for: vaginal and cervical pain, tenderness in your uterus, tubes or ovaries, bleeding from your cervix, a foul-smelling vaginal discharge. Blood test results that indicate an infection include a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate and elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cells (WBCs). The earlier you get a diagnosis, the more effectively PID can be treated and the lower your risk of complications (see below). The primary medical treatment for PID is antibiotic therapy. Your doctor will likely prescribe a combination of medications to be most effective, such as: doxycycline combined with metronidazole, ofloxacin combined with metronidazole, or cephalosporin with doxycycline. If you have severe PID, you may need to stay in the hospital and receive antibiotics intravenously (through a vein in your arm). Antibiotics can help prevent serious complications related to PID, but they can't reverse any damage that's already occurred. If your PID is caused by an STI, such as like gonorrhea or chlamydia, then your sexual partner should be treated with antibiotics or appropriate medications also. While taking antibiotics, your symptoms may fade away before the infection is completely cured, so always follow your doctor's advice and finish off your medicine as prescribed. In most cases, antibiotic therapy is enough to combat PID, but sometimes the medications aren't effective or the infection is severe or becomes chronic making it much more difficult to treat. In these instances, your may experience serious complications of PID, such as infertility (inability to get pregnant), scar tissue formation around the Fallopian tubes that causes a tubal blockage, ovarian abscesses, ectopic pregnancy (outside the womb), and chronic pelvic/abdominal pain. Recent research indicates that women with PID are also at higher risk of a heart attack. In about 85% of PID cases, the initial treatment succeeds and about 75% of the time women don't experience a recurrence of the infection. When there is a recurrence of PID, the likelihood of infertility increases with each subsequent episode. Some complications, such as tubal-ovarian abscesses, are life-threatening and require immediate surgery. A blocked Fallopian tube, however, is not life-threatening and not something that necessarily requires treatment. More frequent doctor's visits and gynecological exams may help reduce the risks of developing complications from PID.
Make an appointment with your family physician. Talk to your doctor about antibiotics. Be aware of complications.