PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is not the sort of thing most people want to know about. Publicity campaigns to inform women and men about this condition have been tried. The letters ‘PID’ adorned billboards and buses for a while. Pamphlets about it sit in racks at hospitals and clinics, but other topics art usually taken up first. It seems like no one wants to know.
What is it? Pelvic inflammatory disease is just that. It means that some or all of the organs and tissues in the pelvis, like the fallopian tubes, uterus, ovaries, and pelvic lining (peritoneum), become inflamed. Inflammation means that the tissue becomes red and hot and sore.
What causes it? This particular inflammation is due to infection with bugs. The most common bug to do this is chlamydia, being responsible for anywhere between 20 and 60 per cent of cases. Other sexually transmitted bacteria, particularly gonorrhoea, can also cause infection in the pelvis. There are other bacteria and organisms which are not your typical STDs, like mycoplasma, but can infect the pelvis. Some of the bacteria which usually live in the bowel, like E coli and streptococci, can cause PID. Sometimes there may be more than one bug causing it.
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