PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
What does it do?
The reason we should be jumping up and down about PID is that infection in the pelvis can permanently damage the tissues which are inflamed. For example, fallopian tubes may be kinked and blocked by infection and subsequent scarring in the pelvis. Abscesses may form in the tubes or elsewhere.
The chances of having permanent damage to the pelvic organs varies. More severe infections may damage the tubes more man milder infections. Not every woman who has PID ends up with blocked tubes. However, the incidence of damage increases with subsequent infections. This means that with the first episode, your risk of tubal damage is about 10 per cent. For the second episode it is about 30 per cent, and if you have three episodes of PID your chance of having tubal damage is about 75 per cent. The fact that you have damaged tubes is likely only to be found if you are being investigated for chronic pelvic pain or infertility. Tubal damage from PID is a major cause of infertility in our society.
The other risk you face with damaged tubes is that you have a greater chance of having an ectopic pregnance. This can be a life-threatening event, and the routine treatment usually involves further damage to the affected fallopian tube.
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