Recurrent Pelvic Infections
Recurrent pelvic infections may be caused by:
- Having a sex partner who is not treated, so reinfection occurs.
- Having a new sex partner, or more than one sex partner, who spreads an infection.
- Receiving medical treatment that does not cure the infection. Typically, this happens when the wrong medicine is prescribed or not all of the medicine is taken.
Some women who have been infected with chlamydia develop a "hypersensitive response" when they are exposed to the bacteria again. A second infection can cause more irritation and damage to the pelvic organs that is worse than the first infection.
Understanding Male Sexual Problems -- Diagnosis and Treatment
The most important way for your health care provider to diagnose a sexual problem is to listen carefully to the story you tell, review the list of medications and substances you use (including natural remedies) to track whether your sexual dysfunction is connected with them, and try to determine whether your difficulties are recent or long-standing. It's also important for your health care provider to understand your level of knowledge about your body and about sexuality. The health care provider...
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The risk of infertility increases with each episode of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
- After a single episode, the risk is about 8% (compared with 1% of women who have never had PID).1
- With each additional episode of PID, the risk of infertility doubles or triples.2
Citations
Paavonen J, et al. (2008). Pelvic inflammatory disease. In KK Holmes et al., eds., Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 4th ed., pp. 1017-1050. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Paavonen J, Schwartz D (2003). Pelvic inflammatory disease. In SA Morse et al., eds., Atlas of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS, 3rd ed., pp. 141-157. Edinburgh: Mosby.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
