what are the signs of a pelvic inflammatory disease?
Many women don’t know that they have pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Some cases of PID may have no symptoms at all.
Later, when PID becomes worse, common symptoms include
- unusually long or painful periods, and unusual vaginal discharge
- spotting and pain between menstrual periods or during urination
- pain in the lower abdomen and back
- fever, chills
- nausea, vomiting
- pain during vaginal intercourse
If PID is not treated, it can cause serious problems, such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pain. The more times a woman has PID, the greater are her chances of becoming infertile.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is often difficult to identify because the symptoms seem like those of other conditions, such as appendicitis, urinary tract infections, ovarian cysts, and endometriosis.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is not always the result of a sexually transmitted infection — but in most cases it is. The sexually transmitted infections that most commonly cause PID are chlamydia and gonorrhea. They are spread by vaginal and anal intercourse, and rarely, oral sex.
Learn more about pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Tags: pelvic inflammatory disease, PID