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Help for about 1 in 50 women who get pelvic inflammatory disease

	If you have pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), you need to get treated quickly. Otherwise, the disease may damage your reproductive organs and stop you from having a baby in the future. ConsumerReportsHealth.org can help you find treatments for PID that work well.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org today to find out which medication rates best for treating PID.

Consumer Reports Health explains the best and most up-to-date expert research and evidence about treating PID. Our clear and sound advice helps you and your doctor choose the best treatment options.

Key points for women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

• PID is almost always caused by an infection that you get from having sex.
• The infection is often caused by sexually transmitted bacteria. Although PID is quite common, it's not always easy to tell whether you have it.
• Symptoms of PID may be mild, but include: pain in the lower part of your belly, pain you feel deep inside during sex, bleeding between periods and abnormal vaginal discharge.
• If you have PID you will need to be treated quickly with antibiotics. If you're not treated quickly, your reproductive organs will get damaged.

You're most likely to get PID if you: are younger than 25 years; have had at least one or more sexually transmitted infections; have had PID before, have more than one sex partner; or if you’ve recently had an intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUD) inserted. PID may be caused by more than one type of bacteria, so you'll be given a combination of antibiotics that work against different bacteria.

Our concise condition report and Treatment Ratings table will help you and your doctor decide which treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease is right for you. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, we'll also help you sort through the best research and the most effective treatments for over 100 conditions and illnesses that may affect you and your family.