Insidious and often dangerous, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a major health problem in the United States. As many as 500,000 women experience an episode of PID every year, running up treatment costs of nearly $2 billion. And an attack of the disease is all too often only a prelude to more serious consequences.
For every four women who have PID, one will develop complications such as infertility or an ectopic pregnancy in one of the fallopian tubes between the ovaries and uterusa potentially fatal condition.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is not really a single illness. It's actually an umbrella term for a variety of infections of the inner reproductive organs, including the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the endometrial lining of the uterus, the uterine wall, the ligaments that support the uterus, and even the lining of the abdomen.
