Treatments For Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a severe infection that can affect the reproductive organs in women if left untreated. The pelvis is located in the lower abdomen and includes the cervix, uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. This condition affects over 1 million women in the United States every year. Several types of bacteria cause PID especially those that cause sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). The infection from the STD can travel into the pelvic organs as time progresses. If the virus spreads to your blood, pelvic inflammatory disease can be life-threatening. If you've contracted chlamydia or gonorrhea, you are at high risk for PID. Symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease include pain in the upper abdomen or lower abdomen, painful sex, fever, painful urination, irregular bleeding, and tiredness. Here is a list of ways you can treat PID.

Antibiotics

Your physician will diagnose pelvic inflammatory disease based on your symptoms, cervical cultures, vaginal discharge, or urine tests. Samples taken will be analyzed through a lab to determine what's causing the infection. If it is discovered that you have PID, your doctor will immediately prescribe a combination of medications. Depending on what your lab results show, your prescription may need to be adjusted. It's normal to have a follow-up appointment with your doctor within three days to make sure the antibiotics are working. It's vital that you take the entire prescription even if you feel better after a couple of days. Your partner should be examined and treated with antibiotics to prevent reinfection. You should avoid sexual intercourse until your treatment is complete and the infection has cleared. If your PID is severe, you may require hospitalization and intravenous medication.

Surgery

Most patients respond positively to treatment via prescription medication, and surgery is rarely needed. However, in exceptional cases such as scarring on the fallopian tubes, surgical intervention is necessary. A surgical procedure may involve bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, or hysterectomy. Your doctor will perform the surgery after the inflammation and infection have resolved. A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus. During an oophorectomy procedure, the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed. Both surgeries are also performed to remove suspicious ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer. Most women can leave the hospital after two to three days, and it will take six to eight weeks to recover.

Abstain From Intercourse

It takes time for an infection to be completely removed from the body. You should abstain from intercourse for at least seven days after treatment. Refrain from sex altogether if your partner has not finished their treatment. If you or your partner do not complete your entire dose or miss pills, PID can be passed back and forth and create health issues later on. Treatment after pelvic inflammatory disease can affect your sex life especially, after a surgical procedure. This is because most women will experience soreness, discharge, pain, bleeding, burning, and flatulence. The area that was operated on will most likely feel painful for months.

Treatment For Partner

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a serious infection caused by a sexually transmitted infection. It's essential for both men and women to prevent spreading STD's by either abstaining from sex or using protection. Both should be screened regularly for sexually transmitted diseases by their physician regularly. Men cannot contract PID, but they can carry the bacteria that causes pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Men who have had intercourse with a woman with pelvic inflammatory disease should be tested and evaluated as soon as possible. If you are a woman who has PID, you should seek treatment for partner immediately. A doctor will presumptively treat them for gonorrhea and chlamydia. They will be treated with a combination of antimicrobial medications to kill the infection.

Hospital Treatment

Pelvic inflammatory disease can be life-threatening in severe cases. If left untreated, PID can cause scar tissue or the development of infected fluid in the fallopian tubes. These abscesses will damage the reproductive organs. If the abscess ruptures, your physician will need to drain it, and you will need to be hospitalized. If you don't respond to antimicrobial medication, you may also require a surgical procedure. When hospitalized for severe PID, you will be given medication intravenously. When you are discharged after hospital treatment, your doctor will likely prescribe you antimicrobial medicines to finish.