How to Evaluate and Prevent Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease, also known as PID, is an infection that spreads into the female reproductive organs, generally through the cervix. PID is not in itself a sexually transmitted disease, but can be a complication of having a sexually transmitted disease. Generally, the cervix is a barrier that prevents bacteria and infection from spreading to the internal reproductive organs; however, when infection is present and the cervix is infected, it is less able to protect against infection spreading. Common conditions that heighten the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is having a cervical or pelvic procedure, childbirth, abortions and certain sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Evaluating and learning how to prevent pelvic inflammatory disease is essential for reducing the risk.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Evaluate Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

1. Know what puts a woman at risk for pelvic inflammatory disease. Women that have been diagnosed with an STD like chlamydia or gonorrhea increase their risk for PID, especially when diagnosis and treatment were not immediately received. A woman that has had PID before is more likely to have recurrent episodes. Young teenage girls are more prone to contracting pelvic inflammatory disease, and females, in general, who do not practice safe sex and engage in sexual activity with many different partners, increase their chances of getting an STD, therefore placing them at a higher risk for pelvic inflammatory disorder. It is important to note that this plays an important part in preventing PID.

2. Monitor for the symptoms associated with pelvic inflammatory disease. Females with PID may feel pain and tenderness in the lower abdominal region or pelvic region, as well as pain in the upper right portion of their abdomen. Since PID is due to infection that may have started vaginally and cervical, there is often the presence of yellowish or greenish discharge with a foul odor. Other symptoms may affect menstruation, where the periods may become irregular, painful or noticing spotting and cramping throughout the month. The presence of infection can also bring on symptoms like fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. There may even be pain present during sexual intercourse. Experiencing any of these symptoms should be an indication for the female to seek out medical attention.

3. Seek out medical attention to evaluate and diagnose the condition. The doctor will do a pelvic exam and run tests to determine the presence of an STD. Also, the doctor may order laboratory blood work done to further determine evidence of infection. Sometimes an ultrasound of the pelvic and reproductive organs will be performed. In extreme cases, the doctor might order an endometrial biopsy to examine a sample of tissue taken from the lining of the uterus, or culdocentesis, which is a procedure where the doctor inserts a needle through the vaginal wall and into the area behind the uterus to aspirate fluid for analysis. It might be necessary for the female to have a laparoscopic exam, which is a surgical procedure that allows the doctor to examine the reproductive organs from inside. The latter procedures are generally necessary when the doctor needs to understand the extent of damage that might have occurred from having pelvic inflammatory disease, as well as the extent to which the infection has traveled.

Prevent Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

4. Refrain from having multiple sexual partners. Remember, you do not always know who that partner has been with. Learning to be more choosey, with respect to sexual activities, can be crucial in preventing infection.

5. Learn to use a condom or a diaphragm every time there is sexual intercourse. Condoms and diaphragms are not just for preventing pregnancy, but are extremely effective ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and infections. They can and should be used along with other effective means of birth control that are better at reducing the risk of pregnancy.

6. Make sure sexual activity takes place in clean places and that both the female and partner have good hygiene. Many monogamous couples, especially when there is marriage, do not use condom barriers to prevent disease because they believe they are safe. So at least make sure to practice good hygiene and “clean sex.”

7. Do not choose an IUD (intrauterine device) when you have multiple partners. Females that are not in monogamous relationships and have multiple partners are more susceptible to infection, and using an IUD makes it easier for the infection to spread from the cervix into the upper reproductive organs.

8. Avoid using douches. It has been proven that douching can and does strip away the vagina’s natural and normal bacteria that can actually protect against other infections. Stripping away the vagina's natural defense leaves you more prone to acquiring sexually transmitted diseases.

9. Schedule a yearly gynecological exam to monitor reproductive health. This can be one of the best ways to maintain reproductive health because it allows the doctor to assess and evaluate the female for the presence of infection that may not be symptomatic yet. Early detection of infection can go a long way to preventing the spread of the infection, and therefore, prevent pelvic inflammatory disease.

10. Make a doctors appointment when symptoms of PID are apparent. Immediate attention can lessen the risk of other complications that may occur from untreated infections and untreated pelvic inflammatory disease.

Tips & Warnings

• A woman that is diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease should inform any and all of their sexual partners. By not informing them, you place them and other women at risk for sexual transmitted diseases and pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Recurrent or untreated pelvic inflammatory disease can result in serious complications. It can form scarring in the fallopian tubes, which may lead to future infertility and even ectopic pregnancies. Also, there is increased chance of chronic pelvic pain resulting from having pelvic inflammatory disease.