Feminine series 2. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)‏

Dear readers, we continue our exposé on the issues surrounding women's health, especially infections.

Most women have heard about infections that could make a woman unable to get pregnant.
PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) is chief amongst them.

What is PID?
It is a serious complication of many sexually transmitted infections that affect women. It can result in irreversible damage to the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes if left untreated.
PID is the single most important preventable cause of female infertility.
It does not affect males for obvious reasons however infections that result in PID are sexually transmitted.
PID can cause blockage of the fallopian tubes resulting in infertility, ectopic pregnancies (pregnancy outside the womb) and chronic pelvic pain

How common is PID?
Unfortunately PID continues to affect an increasing number of young women.
Each year, more than 100,000 women in the USA become infertile as a result of PID.
The rate of infection is higher among teens and young adults.

What causes PID?
1. Untreated gonorrhea and/or chlamydia ( we will discuss these further in the next write-ups)
2. Unsafe abortions

Symptoms
1. Fever
2. Lower abdominal pain
3. Painful urination
4. Pain during sex
5. Itching
6. Vaginal discharge : yellowish/greenish with foul smell

Risk factors
1. Multiple sexual partners
2. Douching. A practice among many women of washing out the vagina with water and chemicals which destroys the "good" bacteria (normal flora) exposing the internal organs to harmful bacteria. More to come on this subject in latter articles.
3. Sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea

Diagnosis
Ensure to see a doctor if you observe any of the above symptoms. The doctor will obtain a detailed sexual history and conduct a series of tests on blood and vaginal discharge specimens. Ultrasound and laparoscopy could also be done.

Treatment
Antibiotics alone are used for mild cases while surgery may be required in addition to antibiotics when there is a collection of pus in the affected organs.
Surgery may involve removal of the uterus (Hysterectomy)

PID is completely preventable
1. Use condoms
2. Get regular gynaecological checks.
3. Seek prompt medical evaluation if you notice any of the symptoms
4. Don't self medicate!

Dr .T Adetiba 

Abugist  Blog 

PART 1 - Symptoms of female genital infections

Happy new year dear readers
I wish you a 2015 of notable achievements and good health.

These series will be about women's health.
Symptoms of female genital infections
1. Abdominal pain
2. Vaginal discharge
3. Vaginal rash/ itch
4. Fever
5. Pain on urination (dysuria)
6. Pain during sex (dyspareaunia)
7. Irregular / abnormal menses

Most women would have experienced one or more of the above at some point in their life.
These genital infections are common in women of reproductive age group (15-49 years)
Some occur whether a lady is sexually active or not.

VAGINAL CANDIDIASIS
Also called thrush or yeast infection
It is the 2nd most common vaginal infection
About 75% of women will experience it at some point in life
What causes it?
A fungus called Candida albicans
This yeast is normally found in small amounts in the human body but certain diseases and drugs can lead to excess growth especially in warm and moist areas of the body in both sexes
It can infect the mouth and throat, skin, blood and genitals

How does one get infected?
Thrush is usually common in persons with compromised immunity as a result of malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, steroid abuse, pregnancy and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Others are
- From the adjacent anus to the vagina
- Tight fitting or synthetic underwear
- Dirty underwear
- Sexual intercourse (men could be infected and not show symptoms)
- Oral sex ( saliva could carry the fungus)

Symptoms
. Itching in the vaginal area
. Soreness and redness of the vaginal area
. Whitish creamy vaginal discharge with mild non offensive odor.
. Painful intercourse.

Treatment
Vaginal candidiasis is fairly easy to treat if the right drugs are administered in time.
Improper treatment could result in complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility and serious blood infections.

After appropriate tests are done to confirm the diagnosis Antifungal drugs are administered either as tablets or by insertion of the drug in the vagina.
Any of the routes is effective.
Sexual partners may need to be treated.
Avoid oral sex
Avoid indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
Avoid tight fitting and synthetic underwear.

We will discuss other infections in other articles to come. Cheers!

Healthy Living - Feminine Corner

PART 1 - Symptoms of female genital infections

Feminine series 2. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)‏