 Description and diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease
Added: 12/09/2005 |
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Pelvic inflammatory disease is considered to be the general term for any infection in the female pelvic organs. Speaking about pelvic inflammatory disease description it's necessary to admit that this infection can include such illnesses of a female genital tract as salpingitis, endometritis, peritonitis and tuboovarian abscess. It is usually caused by the organisms ascending to the upper genital tract from cervix and vagina.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (or PID) is a progressive infection of uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes or ovaries. Very often this illness can be caused by sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. But in some women pelvic inflammatory disease may result from pregnancy termination or following childbirth. Occasionally, the cause may be sex with a new partner. Be aware that often no specific reason can be found; the group of risk is women having a sexually transmitted disease or those under 25 years of age. It's interesting to admit that the highest infection rate is noticed in teenage girls (most likely those who have multiple partners or don't use condoms).
Among the widely spread pelvic inflammatory disease symptoms are susceptibility of and pain in the lower abdomen, large amounts of abnormally colored discharge (usually foul-smelling), pain during sex intercourse, more painful periods with larger amounts of cramps than usual, spotting between periods, fever, chills, loss of appetite, vomiting, difficulties with walking, more painful and frequent urination.
If pelvic inflammatory disease goes untreated it may lead to different long-term reproductive problems: internal scarring with chronic pelvic pain, tubal pregnancy or even infertility. That's why if you have a number of the symptoms mentioned above you need to see a health care provider as soon as possible because pelvic inflammatory disease can have life-threatening complications. Be aware that PID is considered to be one of the most preventable causes of infertility.
Pelvic inflammatory disease diagnosis can only be made by a medical expert who is responsible for examining the woman internally. An ultrasound scan may also be needed to show up in details the womb and other organs in the pelvis. During the examination a doctor will make an analysis of cervical cultures and vaginal discharge (taking particular samples from vagina and cervix). Then - the samples are being examined in the laboratory for further determination of the organism causing the disease. The women is likely to be asked the permission for a pelvic laparoscopy for getting important information regarding how big the infection is.
Pelvic inflammatory disease description wouldn't be complete without information regarding its treatment and prevention. The doctor is likely to prescribe antibiotics treatment for a period of approximately two weeks. As the infection is rather difficult to eradicate, the woman will have to take two kinds of medications during the period of treatment. At the same time, the woman will require extra rest, avoid sex until both of the partners are properly treated and recover and checked by a doctor.
No doubt, it's always easier and better to prevent the disease rather than treating it. That's why it's worth mentioning that there are several ways of pelvic inflammatory disease prevention: avoiding multiple sexual partners and using contraception (such as condoms).
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