Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a common cause of morbidity in young women and is usually secondary to a sexually transmitted infection. The diagnosis is based on clinical history and examination, but is inaccurate and leads to overdiagnosis of the condition. Despite this, empirical antibiotic treatment based on a clinical assessment is still recommended because failure to treat PID can result in infertility, ectopic pregnancy or chronic pelvic pain in up to 40% of women. It is important to exclude an ectopic pregnancy before starting treatment for PID. Screening and treatment of male partners is important to prevent re-infection which is associated with an increased risk of long-term sequelae.