What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?
PID is an infection in your uterus, womb, in the tubes that connect your ovaries with your uterus, fallopian tubes, or in both. PID can also spread to your ovaries (the sex organs that hold your eggs) and your bloodstream.
What causes pelvic inflammatory disease?
PID is caused by bacteria from your vagina. You get these bacteria by having sex with a partner who has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Usually, the STI is gonorrhea or chlamydia. Sometimes your partner doesn't have any symptoms but can still give you an STI.
What are the symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease?
Early symptoms of PID include
Lower belly pain, which may be worse on one side than the other
Vaginal bleeding that isn't part of your monthly period
Vaginal discharge, which may smell bad
Later symptoms of PID include
Very bad lower belly pain
A fever, usually below 102° F (38.9° C) but can go higher
Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up
Vaginal discharge that's yellow-green or like pus
Pain during sex or when urinating (peeing)
Symptoms that happen toward the end of your monthly period or during the few days after your period ends are suggestive of PID. PID can be severe yet cause mild or no symptoms.
How do doctors tell if I have pelvic inflammatory disease?
The doctor will ask you questions and will usually do a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, your doctor looks inside your vagina, holding it open with a small instrument called a speculum. Your doctor may take a sample of fluid from your cervix using a cotton swab to test it for gonorrhea and chlamydia or order a blood test. If the doctor thinks you might have an abscess or pregnancy in your fallopian tube, you'll usually have an ultrasound test.
How can I lower my risk of PID?
You can't always prevent PID. But to lower your risk, have sex with only one partner, or use both condoms and spermicides during sex.
Copyright © 2023 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.