Why PID Is Leading Cause Of Infertility
By Chioma Umeha
What is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?
Pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, is an
inflammation of a woman’s upper reproductive tract, including the structures of
the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Salpingitis, inflammation of the
fallopian tubes, is the most common manifestation of the disease. PID is known
to be a long-term consequence of many sexually transmitted diseases as well as
of bacterial vaginosis (BV), pelvic surgery, and other gynecologic procedures
that cross the cervix.
It is fundamentally a preventable condition.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is, essentially,
caused by the body overreacting to an infection. As the immune system tries to
fight off the invading bacteria, it causes local inflammation and scarring.
Although this may successfully wall off the infection inside the reproductive
tract, it can be damage the organs. PID can cause scarring in the uterus,
fallopian tubes, and even in the pelvic cavity. This is one of the main reasons
it causes chronic pelvic pain.
The most common infections associated with pelvic
inflammatory disease are chlamydia and gonorrhea. Because the symptoms of PID
are the result of the body’s response to the underlying infection, treatment
usually involves antibiotics to treat that infection. In severe cases, or in an
emergency, surgery may be necessary to drain an abscess that has ruptured or
that threatens to rupture.
What are the symptoms of PID?
These include: Pain in the lower abdomen and
pelvis; irregular periods, pain during sex, pain during urination, lower back
pain and excess vaginal discharge with a foul odour.
Others are: Fever, exhaustion, diarrhea, vomiting
and other general signs of infection.
How Common Is PID?
In the early 1990s, the self-reported frequency of
PID in women was approximately one in nine. PID was more than twice as common
in women with a history of sexually transmitted diseases (26 percent) than
among women who had never reported an STD (10 per cent).
Risk factors for PID include: Younger age:
Sexually experienced teenagers are three times more likely to be diagnosed with
PID than their 25- to 29-year-old counterparts. Scientists do not know,
however, whether this is due to biological factors that make young women more
susceptible to STDs or different sexual behaviours in these two age groups.
Women have the highest risk of PID of the ethnic
groups seen in the U.S. This may be related to biological factors, or due to
their comparatively high frequency of douching.
Contraceptive Choice: Barrier methods, such as
condoms, and oral contraceptives reduce the risk of PID. Despite the problems
with the Dalkon Shield in the 1970s, use of modern intrauterine devices (IUD)
is not considered to significantly increase the risk of PID, except possibly
around the time of insertion.
Douching: Douching greatly increases a woman’s
risk of PID.
Why Should I Be Concerned About PID?
Worldwide, PID is one of the leading causes of
ectopic pregnancy and preventable infertility in women.
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