Pelvic inflammatory disease

Abstract

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a generalised term that describes infection of the upper genital tract in women. It is commonly caused by the sexually transmitted infections Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoea. Clinical features of PID include pelvic pain, deep dyspareunia, cervical motion tenderness and adnexal tenderness. Complications include infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. Therefore, it is important for GPs to have a high index of suspicion when women present with symptoms of PID and to initiate antibiotic treatment before vaginal swab results are known.