What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?

Women’s reproductive systems are complex, and can be vulnerable to infection and post-infection inflammatory issues. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an inflammation of women’s reproductive organs that can result from untreated sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or other infections that are not sexually transmitted.

PID can cause chronic pelvic pain and discomfort, as well as issues with your reproductive health and fertility. If you’re concerned about PID, Dr. Leonardo A. Longoria and the team at Longoria OBGYN in El Paso, Texas, can help. Here are some key facts Dr. Longoria wants his patients to understand about PID and its potential complications.

Understanding pelvic inflammatory disease

You can develop PID after getting an STD like gonorrhea or chlamydia, or after a non-STD infection.

You can reduce your risk of STD complications by using protection during sex, getting tested as needed for your lifestyle and risk factors, and getting STDs treated promptly. Most cases of PID are preventable with the right steps.

Symptoms of PID range from mild to severe. Common symptoms include:

• Lower abdominal pain
• Unusual vaginal discharge with a bad odor
• A burning feeling when you urinate
• Bleeding during sex or between periods
• Fever

If you experience these symptoms, check in with Dr. Longoria to make sure you aren’t dealing with PID.

Complications of pelvic inflammatory disease

If you have mild symptoms of PID, you could face reproductive health complications without knowing it. Left untreated, PID can cause complications including:

• Scarring or obstruction inside or around your fallopian tubes
• Reduced fertility or inability to become pregnant
• A higher risk of ectopic pregnancy
• Chronic pelvic or abdominal pain

These complications can threaten your reproductive health and your fertility in the future. That’s why it’s important to get PID checked out and treated promptly.

Treating your pelvic inflammatory disease

Dr. Longoria confirms your diagnosis of PID based on your medical history, physical symptoms, and other test results as needed. Once you know it’s PID, you can typically resolve this condition with antibiotic medication. It’s important to take the entire course of your antibiotic and ensure that the infection is fully resolved before you end treatment.

If you have PID that’s gone untreated, you may be facing lasting damage to your fertility. If you want to get pregnant after PID, talk to Dr. Longoria about how fertility medicine can help you expand your family despite potential infertility issues.

Schedule your consultation with Dr. Longoria by calling our office or requesting an appointment online today.