Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

 Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Signs and Symptoms

 

1. Often the infection has no symptoms.

Sometimes it can cause:

1. Pain during intercourse.

2. Mild to severe aching in the lower abdomen, sometimes accompanied by backache.

3. Absent or irregular menstrual periods, or unusually heavy bleeding.

4. Heavy or foul-smelling discharge from the vagina.

5. Frequent urination accompanied by burning pain.

6. Fever, sometimes with chills.

7. Nausea and vomiting.

What to do now

 

1. Diagnose the problem and then

2. Take all of your medication, even if symptoms have disappeared.

3. Don’t have sex until all symptoms have disappeared.

4. Get plenty of bed rest.

5. If needed, take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen.

6. If gonorrhea or Chlamydia caused your infection, make sure your partner is treated. Otherwise, he may reinfect you or infect others.

When to call a doctor

 

1. If you have symptoms of PID.

How to prevent it

 

1. Practice safe sex: A sexual relationship with only one person you know to be uninfected is safest. If you have sex with more than one person, use latex condoms, even during oral sex, and never reuse a condom.

2. Don’t have unprotected sex with anyone whose sexual history you don’t know or who isn’t willing to be tested for HIV.

3. Avoid anal sex; it increases your risk because of the chance of bleeding.

4. Hugging, kissing (any part of the body), message, and touching are safe activities.

5. Have regular medical checkups.

6. To prevent infection after surgery or minor gynecological procedures, don’t douche or have intercourse for a week.

Posted in: Health Tips