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Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Treatment

This article examines the most common medical treatment methods for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, their complications and likely results.

Pelvic Inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the female reproductive tract that originates from an infection following a sexually transmitted disease (STD). In other more rare cases PID can be caused by the introduction of bacteria to the uterus after the insertion of an IUD (intrauterine device) used for birth control.

Treatment for this disorder is usually empiric meaning that treatments are designed resulting from experiments and observation rather than theory. Physicians use antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics that cover N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis and others that may comprise the vaginal flora normally such as G. vaginalis and Haemophilus influenzeae.

The medications that are chosen are usually broad spectrum antibiotics that cover the likely suspects since doing a culture and sensitivity test on the organism may require a D&C. The physician may resort to a culture if the infection doesn’t respond to antibiotics in the expected manner.

Most of the treatment protocols call for oral antibiotics over a lengthy period of time, such as five to seven months. Many women report that their symptoms resolve after only a month or two which increases the risk that they will not be compliant with the antibiotic therapy, stopping it long before the treatment has been completed.

In these cases, when the treatment is stopped prematurely, the microorganisms have had a chance to change and accommodate their DNA to resist the antibiotics that were initially prescribed. At this point the infection resumes in full force. The woman returns to the physician for another round of antibiotics but this time the bacteria may be resistant to the initial antibiotic.

These resistant microorganisms are becoming more and more prevalent because people don’t always finish their antibiotic therapy and then pass along their infection to others. This has become a real problem with tuberculosis infections and the recent outbreaks of MERSA (Methacillin Resistant Staph aureus) infections are a direct result of bacteria that became resistant to the antibiotic that was once most effective against the germ.

In cases where the infection is virulent, the woman’s immune system is not strong, the woman is pregnant, or the bacteria is resistant treatment may be given via an intravenous route. This means that the medication is given through an IV while the woman is hospitalized. Treatment in these cases may last 6 months but may transition to oral antibiotics or the woman may be discharged with home nursing care to help administer the medications at home.

In any case the treatment protocols for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease should be tailored to the individual needs and requirements of the woman, the microbe and the situation. Without early diagnosis and treatment women are at a higher risk of developing the secondary effects of chronic PID which include infertility, ectopic pregnancy, anemia and pelvic scarring. In some cases surgical intervention is needed when the case isn’t responsive to antibiotics or the complications are problematic.

Medications that may be prescribed include Levofloxacin, Ofloxacin, Metronidazole, Ceftriaxone, Doxycycline and Cefoxitin. These medications are used in combination to cover the most number of probable microbes that are causing the PID. Physicians will first determine if the woman has an STD and what the best course of treatment for that germ is, assuming that it is that germ that is causing the PID.

If you or someone you know suspects they have PID please seek medical care immediately so that the chances of secondary problems will decrease and the percentage of successful treatment increases.

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