PID can result if an infection spreads from your vagina and cervix (neck of your womb) to your womb (uterus), ovaries and fallopian tubes (the tubes that go from your ovaries to your womb).
A
chlamydia infection or
mycoplasma infection can cause
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - between one and three in every 10 women with untreated chlamydia will get PID.
PID can become a chronic (long-term) condition with acute flare-ups characterised by fever and abdominal pain. The terms acute and chronic refer to time, not how serious a condition is.
PID can affect your quality of life and maybe also your ability to have children. However it is not suggest to have a baby if you are suffering from PID, for the unhealthy environment in your pelvic cavity would probably lead to ectopic pregnancy.
Symptoms of PID vary from mild to severe. When PID is caused by chlamydial or mycoplasma infection, a woman may be more likely to experience only mild symptoms even when serious damage is being done to her reproductive organs. Chlamydia can also cause fallopian tube infection without any symptoms. Because of vague symptoms, PID often goes unrecognized by women and their health care providers. Women who have symptoms of PID most commonly have lower abdominal pain. Other signs and symptoms include fever, unusual vaginal discharge that may have a foul odor, painful intercourse, painful urination, irregular menstrual bleeding, and pain in the right upper abdomen (rare).
The signs and symptoms of PID also include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, extreme pain, including pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding. PID can scar the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences. For this reason, PID sometimes can be an indirect cause of infertility problem.
Key words: pelvic inflammatory disease; symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease; signs of PID
