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Pelvic inflammatory disease
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Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection that inflames the female upper genital tract, that is, the upper part of the reproductive system: the uterus, the fallopian tubes and the ovaries.
The infection does not appear there out of nowhere: it climbs. It starts at the cervix, the entrance to the uterus, and ascends. In 85% of cases it is caused by sexually transmitted bacteria or by microbes from bacterial vaginosis, which is an imbalance of the vaginal flora. The two main ones are Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.
What it leaves behind is what matters most. The inflammation scars, forms adhesions, which are bands of tissue that bind together structures that should move freely, and ends up blocking the tubes. The ciliated epithelium, the layer of cells with moving hairs that pushes the egg toward the uterus, is also lost. The tube turns from a corridor lined with cilia into a scarred pipe, and that is why the risk of infertility and the risk of ectopic pregnancy, the kind that implants outside the uterus, both go up.
In brief
Pelvic inflammatory disease is infectious inflammation of the female upper genital tract: the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
It ascends from the cervix: in 85% of cases it is caused by sexually transmitted bacteria or bacteria from bacterial vaginosis, mainly Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.
The damage leaves scarring, adhesions and tubal obstruction, and as the ciliated epithelium that moves the egg is lost, the risks of infertility and ectopic pregnancy rise.
The tube turns from a corridor lined with cilia into a scarred pipe.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPelvic Inflammatory Disease, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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