Concept and Etiology: PID is a general term that refers to an infection
of the female reproductive system. According to the CDC, PID
diagnoses are in an average of 5% of all U.S. women will have PID in
their lifetime. a It most often occurs when sexually transmitted
bacteria spread from your vagina to your uterus, fallopian tubes or
ovaries. Douching also increases the risk of developing PID. PID can
either be acute or chronic, and most commonly results from a sexually
transmitted infection (usually gonorrhea or chlamydia). PID is not a
sexually transmitted disease, but rather is classified as sexually
derived. a The etiology of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is
speculated upon based on reported incidence and epidemiological
studies. It deviates from the definition of health discussed in Module
One because Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is more of a medical
disease/condition, but I believe it also affects a female's mental
health as well as their physical health as well, because it can affect the
reproductive tract during childbirth, which can affect a female's head
(mental).
Classification: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) comprises a
spectrum of inflammatory disorders of the upper female genital tract,
including any combination of endometritis, salpingitis, tubo-ovarian
abscess, and pelvic peritonitis. Sexually transmitted organisms,
especially Nesseira gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, are
implicated in many cases.
Clinical Manifestations (Symptoms and Signs): The signs and
symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease can be subtle or mild. Some
women don't experience any signs or symptoms. As a result, you
might not realize you have it until you have trouble getting pregnant
or you develop chronic pelvic pain. Indications of infection such as
fever, chills, myalgia, and leukocytes, pain or tenderness in the pelvis,
lower abdomen, or lower back, abnormal vaginal and cervical
discharge, painful sexual intercourse, urinary frequency, dysuria,
dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, metrorrhagia (Abnormal vaginal bleeding
or spotting between periods), anorhexia, nausea and vomiting.
Diagnostic Tests: Diagnostic procedures for PID consist of a history,
physical examination, discharge culture, Papanicolaou (Pap) smear),
CBC, pelvic ultrasound, CT, and laparoscopy.
References
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, April
23).
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved
November 25, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/pelvic-inflammatory-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-
20352594.
Story, L. (2018). Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. In
Pathophysiology: A
practical approach
(pp. 242–243). essay, Jones & Bartlett Learning.
