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Harbinger of Trouble to Come
If a pelvic infection takes hold in the critical corridor between the ovary and the uterus, the resulting inflammation and swelling (see tube on right) can totally block the passage, while pus building up outside the tube can cement it to other organs and spread the infection elsewhere in the abdomen. |
If PID were merely an annoying infection that could be cleared up by antibiotics with no lingering or long-term effects, it wouldn't deserve further discussion. But PID is much more than an annoyance. If the infection moves up the reproductive tract to the fallopian tubes, it can cause permanent damage to these critical reproductive organs, resulting in infertility.
Gonorrhea causes an inflammation that can permanently scar the delicate fallopian tubes, decreasing their width, and making them unfit to transport eggs to the uterus. While chlamydia produces a milder form of infection than does gonorrhea, it can linger in the tubes for months prompting a violent immune response that can damage the tubes just as thoroughly as a sudden bacterial onslaught. Whether it is due to a direct gonoccocal attack on the tubes or the more insidious chlamydial assault, the end result is the same—infertility.
In addition to destroying reproductive capacity, just one episode of PID can greatly increase your chances of having an ectopic pregnancy in which an egg begins to grow in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus where it belongs. Ectopic pregnancies can be a life-threatening emergency requiring hospitalization and surgery. Experts estimate that the risk of death due to ectopic pregnancy is 10 times greater than it is in childbirth and 50 times greater than it is in properly performed surgery.
A bout of PID also quadruples your chances of suffering chronic (long-term) pelvic pain. If you develop this problem, surgical exploration is necessary to determine the cause and extent of the disease.
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The Dire Aftermath of Infection
Compare the normal fallopian tube on the left with the victim of PID on the right. Even after the disease has cleared up, it's impossible for an egg to make its way through the scarred, unnaturally narrow channel the infection leaves behind. If PID effectively closes both fallopian tubes, the result is sterility. |
