Pelvic Inflammatory Disease can be described as the inflammation of the female reproductive organs inclusive of the woman’s uterus, Fallopian Tubes, ovaries and the cervix. This is a reproductive anomaly which affects no less than 1 million of the women residing in the United States every year. These statistics very clearly depict how common the abnormality has become in our country, and the reason for concern is that this incongruity could very easily lead to infertility in women who suffer from this disease. Research has revealed that 1 in every 8 women who suffer from PID face difficulty getting pregnant.
The Pelvic Inflammatory Disease could be quite commonly caused by Sexually transmitted diseases that are left untreated, sexual activity with more than a single partner, sexual activity with a person who is involved in sexual activity with more than a single woman, History of PID and the use of an intrauterine device for the purpose of birth control. This condition could become further complicated because of a few specific STD’s like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Chlamydia and trachomatous are infections that could be held responsible for 75 percent of the infertility cases in the Fallopian tubes. This is an anomaly that could be caused not only because of these circumstances but also from conditions that cause infection in the uterus. These conditions could include pelvic Tuberculosis, Non-sterile abortions and in some cases, also from a ruptured appendix.
Any woman can know if she had this disease judging from its symptoms. This disease is known to cause pain in the lower part of the abdomen, fever, abnormal discharge from the vagina, painful sex or bleeding while having sex, pain during urination and finally bleeding in between periods. If a woman suffers from very frequent attacks of PID, she could be exposed scarring, abscess formation and damaging of the fallopian tubes. All of these problems could resultantly lead to infertility in women. Through the observation of the problem, we have been able to conclude that 20 percent of the women who develop PID to such a great extent for the symptoms to become clear could lose their ability to become pregnant.
Apart from the obvious side effects of PID, it could also result in the formation of scar tissue around the fallopian tube and lead to its blockage. It could also lead to a pregnancy where the embryo becomes planted outside of the female womb, and ultimately, it could also end in long-term abdominal pain. If the disease is diagnosed in due time, steps could be taken towards a cure. These treatments, however, would fail to undo the damage that has already been suffered by the reproductive system. Also, the longer the disease is left untreated, the greater complications there are going to be. This disease could be cured by a duly prescribed course of antibiotics. During treatment, however, one thing is to be kept in mind; that is even though with the start of antibiotics, the symptoms may go away, but the patient has to complete the course to completely rid themselves of the problem.
Since the impacts of this anomaly could be long lasting and quite permanent in the life of a woman, utmost caution should be exercised in terms of reproductive health so that the chances of suffering from this illness could be reduced to a minimum. A woman should take care to limit to a single sexual partner to save herself from any kind of sexually transmitted disease. The chances could be further reduced by using latex condoms during sex.
List of References
Centre for Disease Control. (2015, December 11). Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - CDC Fact Sheet. Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/std/pid/stdfact-pid.htm
Stöppler, M. C. (2015, August 31). Pelvic inflammatory disease facts. Retrieved from Medicine Net: http://www.medicinenet.com/pelvic_inflammatory_disease/article.htm#pelvic_inflammatory_disease_facts
The New York Times. (n.d.). Infertility in Women. Retrieved January 18, 2016, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/infertility-in-women/causes.html
