We hear a lot about different sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, trichomonas, HIV, syphilis to name a few, but have you ever heard about pelvic inflammatory disease?
Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection of the female reproductive organs. It most often occurs when sexually transmitted bacteria spread from your vagina to your uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries.
The biggest culprit or cause of pelvic inflammatory disease is untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea. If you have either of these sexually transmitted diseases and you don’t seek treatment, you can develop pelvic inflammatory disease which will cause many problems down the line. If your desire is to get pregnant someday, pelvic inflammatory disease can cause scarring of your fallopian tubes which will make it harder for an egg to get from the ovary to your fallopian tube, then down to your uterus. If an egg can’t get through your fallopian tube, sperm can’t fertilize it. It can also cause ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain and tubo-ovarian abscess.
So, if you have had unprotected sex, sex with more than one partner, if you suspect your partner is cheating on you, GET TESTED!
How do I know if I have a pelvic inflammatory disease?
The signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease might be mild and difficult to recognize. When signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease are present, they most often include:
- Pain – ranging from mild to severe – in your lower abdomen and pelvis.
- Unusual or heavy vaginal discharge that may have an unpleasant odor.
- Unusual bleeding from the vagina, especially during or after sex, or between periods.
- Pain during sex.
- Fever, sometimes with chills.
- Painful, frequent or difficult urination.
Seek your health care provider or urgent medical care if you experience:
- Severe pain in your abdomen.
- Nausea and vomiting, with an inability to keep anything down.
- Fever, with a temperature higher than 101 F
- Foul vaginal discharge.
If you have any of these symptoms, contact your healthcare provider right away. The sooner you get care, the greater the chance of successful treatment.
What can I expect when I see my healthcare provider?
They will ask you questions about your general health, sexual activity and symptoms. Your provider may do a pelvic exam to check for tenderness and abscesses, do a vaginal culture to check for discharge for certain bacteria, blood test, urine test to rule out a urinary tract infection and they may do an ultrasound for a better look at your reproductive system.
The treatment for a pelvic inflammatory disease is an easy one, 14 consecutive days of antibiotics. So, if you have any of these symptoms, get checked out as soon as possible and get yourself back on the road to good health. Here at Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center, we do free and confidential testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Call us at 417.455.0100 to schedule an appointment.
Some information taken from Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.