What causes inflammatory pelvic disease?
Pelvic inflammatory disease or PID is the name given to the condition when an infection that affects the cervix, or neck of the womb, becomes more serious, rising to involve the lining of the uterus (endometritis) or tubes (salpingitis). The usual symptoms of PID are a lower abdominal or pelvic pain, a fever, generally feeling unwell, pain on intercourse and a smelly vaginal discharge. The most common cause of PID are infections that can be transmitted by sexual intercourse, so it is important that as well as you having tests, your partner does also. To confirm the infection swabs are taken to look for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, the most common causes of PID. Treatment with antibiotics can reduce the severity of the infection, and pain killers should be used to control the pain. Once the antibiotic course has finished, it can still take some time for the pain to completely settle. Longer term risks of PID include ectopic pregnancy – when a pregnancy implants into the tube rather than th
