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Select treatment area Bladder & Kidneys Blood Brain & nervous system Cancer Children's health Diabetes Digestive system Ear, nose & throat Eating & weight Eyes Fertility Heart and circulation Hormones Infections Lungs & breathing Men's health Mental health Mouth Muscles & bones Pregnancy & childbirth Sexual health Skin Sleep Staying healthy Travel health Women's health

You can probably be cured of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) by taking antibiotics, either at home or in the hospital. But it can do serious damage to your health and fertility if you don't get treatment right away.

It's important to go to see your doctor as soon as you notice any symptoms that might be symptoms of PID.

If your doctor suspects you have PID, you'll be started on antibiotic pills right away. A delay in treatment, even by a few days, can make your PID more severe. This can increase your risk of getting serious long-term problems.^{1 2}

You may be able to stay at home while you're taking the pills. About 3 in 4 women with PID can stay at home for treatment.³

PID may be caused by more than one type of infection. So your doctor will prescribe at least two antibiotics, to work against the different types of bacteria.³ You'll probably be given the pills for 14 days.

If you've had a contraceptive coil (IUD) fitted, you might need to have it removed. This depends on how bad your PID is. If it is mild, your doctor might decide that you can leave it in place.⁴

Your symptoms may go away before the infection is cured. Even so, it's very important that you finish taking the medication, to make sure the infection is completely cured.³ If you don't take all the pills, the infection might come back.

Your doctor will want to see you again, a few days after starting treatment. This is important because they can make sure the medication is working. If you haven't gotten better, you may need to go to the hospital for tests or more treatment.

About 1 in 4 women with PID have to stay in the hospital during treatment.³

You may need to go to the hospital because:^{2 4}

• Your doctor thinks you may need an operation
• You're quite sick (for example you are feverish and vomiting)
• You have an abscess (swelling full of pus) inside your pelvis
• You've been taking antibiotic pills but they haven't worked or have caused side effects
• You are pregnant.

In the hospital you'll probably be given antibiotics by a drip (also called an IV or an intravenous infusion). Then, when your condition improves, you'll be given antibiotic pills or capsules to take by mouth.

If you go to the hospital, you may also need to have a laparoscopy. This is an operation to help your surgeon see inside your pelvis, to get a good view of your reproductive organs.

You might need this operation to confirm that you have PID and not another condition. Other conditions that could be mistaken for PID include:¹

• Ectopic pregnancy (this is when you are pregnant but the baby starts growing in your fallopian tube, rather than inside your uterus)
• Appendicitis
• Endometriosis (where tissue, such as the lining of your uterus grows in other parts of your pelvis)
• A cyst in one of your ovaries.

A laparoscopy can also help your surgeon see how much damage the PID has done to your reproductive organs. Your surgeon may find an abscess in your pelvis. They can then use surgical instruments to drain away fluids or cut through scar tissue, during the same operation.⁴

Most cases of PID are caused by sexually transmitted infection. So it's important that the sex partner you have now, or your recent sex partners, get checked for signs of infection.

Even if your sex partner has no symptoms, they may still have gonorrhea or chlamydia. This means your sex partner will need to be treated to avoid passing the infection back to you again.³

You'll need to avoid having sex until you and your partner have both finished taking the antibiotics.⁴ This is to stop you from passing the infection back and forth between you.

Unfortunately, even if you have successful treatment, this will not undo any damage that the infection has already done to your reproductive organs. Studies show that in women who have PID:^{5 6}

• About 20 in 100 women have problems getting pregnant because of damage to their fallopian tubes
• 30 in 100 women get persistent pelvic pain.
• 1 in 100 women who get pregnant has an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy can be dangerous for you and your baby. It happens because your fallopian tubes are damaged.

Your chances of getting these problems depends on how much damage your PID did before you started treatment.

There's also a risk that you will get PID again. About one-third of women who have PID will get it again. And each new infection means you're more likely to become infertile.³

There are things you can do to protect yourself against PID.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.