Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, also known as PID, is characterized by an infection that occurs in a lady's reproductive organs. Usually this occurs as a result of a complications arising from a STD. The disease causes severe damage to the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus. It is one of the bigger causes of infertility in women. 

Causes-

The cervix which is the entry to the uterus has the function of stopping bacteria that are present in the vagina from spreading to the other organs. Once infected by a STD, the cervix can no longer perform its function of preventing the bacteria from spreading to other organs. PID develops when the infection spreads from the cervix to the upper areas of the genital tract. 

There are certain factors which increase the chances of being affected by PID: 

Being sexually active 
Already affected by STDs such as gonorrhea 
Past history of PID 
Having multiple sexual partners 
Symptoms-

Women may experience pain while urinating and engaging in sexual intercourse, coupled with sore feeling in the stomach along with nausea. Abnormal vaginal discharge and a rise in body temperature are common symptoms as well. 

Treatment-
Once the disease has been diagnosed by a doctor, a treatment plan is devised. The treatment options that you can avail of are: 

Medications: If the symptoms are mild, then the doctor will prescribe antibiotic medications. Usually the antibiotics are administered by mouth unless the symptoms are severe, when the drugs are administered intravenously. Your partner would also require medications if you happen to be diagnosed with PID, so that he/she does not catch it. 
Surgery: Surgery is recommended by the doctor in case of tissue inflammation and the presence of pus (abscess). The aim of surgery is to get rid of the abscess to prevent any further infection. 
In addition to the treatment methods, there are certain precautionary measures that you can adopt to be safe: 

Have protected sex.
Try and stick to one sexual partner.
Visit your gynecologist for regular checkups.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - Can STDs be the Reason Behind it?

Are you suffering from chronic pelvic pain? Well, then it is time to consult your doctor. Chronic pelvic pain can be the indication or symptom for other serious disorders. It is often difficult to figure out the exact cause of the pain. Chronic pelvic pain refers to the persistent pain in the pelvic region that has been lasting for over six months. Your doctor needs to carefully examine your symptoms to know the source of the pain.

Here are some of the causes that lead to chronic pelvic pain:

Endometriosis: In this disease, cells that form the lining of the uterus grow abnormally. These cells grow on organs like the ovaries, urinary bladder or rectum. Symptoms that can be accompanied with pelvic pain in Endometriosis.

Pelvic pain or cramps before or during your period
Pain during or post sex
Pain at the time you ovulate
Pain during bowel movements
Rectal bleeding during period
Pain during urination
Lower back pain
Infertility
Spotting in between periods
Bloating
Adenomyosis: This disease is similar to endometriosis. Cells lining the uterus tend to invade the uterus and muscle tissues of the uterine wall. In many cases, women with adenomyosis are devoid of any symptoms. Some of the common symptoms are:

Pain during period
Pressure on bladder or rectum
Massive periods
Long periods
Interstitial Cystitis: Women suffering from interstitial cystitis have inflammation of the urinary bladder. The inflammation is due to any infection. This affects women as a result of their aging. Symptoms:

Need to urinate very often
Discomfort during urination
Pain at the time of sex
Urinary Tract Infection
Bacteria cause urinary tract infections. This, in turn, leads to pelvic pain. Infections can affect any part of the urinary tract. It can also affect the kidneys, bladder, and urethra. Urinary tract infections are common in women mainly. Symptoms:

Pressure in lower pelvis
Pain or a burning sensation during urination
Needing to urinate frequently
Cloudy urine
Blood in urine
When to visit a doctor?
It is difficult to know and assess the right time to visit the doctor. But the pain may be very irritating. It can also lead to fatal and chronic disorders. Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor if the pain persists for a long period and doesn t vanishes with the home-based remedies or medication. The doctor may conduct lab tests, laparoscopy, or radiological tests to come to a conclusion.

Chronic Pelvic Pain - Common Causes Behind It + Related Symptoms!

If there is a recurrent pain in the lower pelvic and the lower abdomen region of the body, chances are you might be suffering from pelvic pain. In women, severe pelvic pain can be a warning sign of some internal damage in the reproductive organs (ovaries, fallopian tube, uterus, and vagina) present in the pelvic region or the digestive system of the body. Although not common in men, pelvic pain might be indicative of an infection or severe pain in the colon region or the pelvic bones. Pelvic pain might be acute or chronic in nature and the pain might spread to the thighs and buttocks of the body.

The causes of pelvic pain differ among the genders, which are as follows:
1. For women, pelvic pain can be an indication of more serious disorders in the internal reproductive organs such as uterine cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cysts, ovarian cancer and other pelvic inflammatory diseases (when the sexually transmitted bacteria spread to the reproductive organs and causes infections).
2. In women, pelvic pain might also occur due to endometriosis (a disorder wherein the internal endometrial tissues grow outside the uterus resulting in severe pain), adenomyosis (a disorder wherein the endometrial tissues which line the wall of the uterus start growing within the uterus), severe pain during ovulation and miscarriages.
3. The causes of pelvic pain in both men and women include sexually transmitted diseases, a disorder in the pelvic region or the bladder, kidney stones, urinary tract infection, colon cancer, and chronic hernia.

If you suffer from the following symptoms, chances are you might be suffering from pelvic pain:
1. Severe pain in the hips and the groin
2. Sudden fever along with the presence of blood in the stool.
3. Severe menstrual pain
4. You might feel severe pain while urinating or in the middle of a sexual intercourse
5. Bloody vaginal discharge might be indicative of pelvic pain in women
6. Recurring episodes of constipation or diarrhoea
7. Pain resulting from stress and intense physical movements

Treatment
If the pain is chronic, doctors might suggest prescribed a dosage of birth-control pills, antibiotic (especially for blood in the stool and pain due to infection) and anti-depressants. In extreme conditions, the doctor might prescribe laparoscopic surgery (operation by making minor incisions performed far from the actual source).

Can Severe Menstrual Pain be a Sign of Pelvic Pain?

Chronic pelvic pain can be caused due to various reasons. Pelvic pain, at times, can become unbearable and cause much discomfort to the individual. Immediate treatment of chronic pelvic pain is necessary, in such circumstances. However, just as everything in the world has natural remedies, there are certain natural remedies for such pains as well. One can try and harness the natural properties of the food that they consume in order to recover from pelvic pains. Some of the foods that can be consumed and which give a considerable amount of relief are listed below.

Yogurt: At times, pelvic pain is caused due to vaginal infection. To combat such infection yogurt is applied to the vagina and left for some time before washing it off. Yogurt contains Lactobacillus bacteria which is considered to be a good kind of bacteria that helps in fighting its disease-causing counterparts.

Carotene Foods: These include pumpkin, mangoes, sweet potatoes and even spinach. The carotene rich foods help in fighting the bacteria and help prevent infection in the pelvic region. Consumption of such foods at least twice a day would provide you great relief.

Garlic: Garlic contains sulphur which is an effective agent in fighting against bacteria and inflammation. Garlic does not only bring flavours to the food but helps in proper digestion and maintaining a healthy stomach. Thus, a combination of both turmeric and garlic can help a lot to combat severe pelvic pain.

Baking Soda: Sometimes pelvic pain is caused due to bacteria growing in the intestine. The acidity of the intestine promotes the growth of these bacteria which causes pelvic pain. If you consume one tablespoon baking soda mixed with water every day then the alkalinity of the baking soda neutralises the acidity of the stomach. This makes it impossible for the bacteria to thrive and reduces pelvic pain.

Turmeric: Often pain in the pelvis is caused due to bacterial infection or inflammation of some sorts. Both these conditions can be tackled by using turmeric. Turmeric has anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties which help in fighting against these problems and lessening the pain to a considerable amount.

Thus, you can try and apply these homemade remedies in curing your pelvic pain. However, if these remedies do not seem to work and the pain drags on or increases, then it is recommended to see a professional Ayurvedic practitioner as soon as possible.

5 Ways To Deal With Chronic Pelvic Pain

Pelvic Inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection that affects a woman s reproductive organs. This disease is not contagious though men can host and transmit the bacteria that triggered the disease through intercourse. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common causes of this disease. Apart from being transmitted sexually, this disease can also develop through the insertion of an unsterilized contraception device into the vagina or during a gynecological procedure such as an abortion. In rare cases, normal bacteria from the vagina can also spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes triggering this disease.
PID can be fatal and should not be ignored. Lower abdominal pain is the primary symptom of this disease. This pain can vary from being mild to be seriously debilitating. Other symptoms of this condition are:
Abnormal or foul vaginal discharge.
Painful intercourse that may be accompanied by bleeding.
Irregular periods.
Spotting between periods.
Severe menstrual cramps.
Burning sensation while urinating.
Urge to frequently urinate and an inability to empty the bladder.
Swollen abdomen.
High fever alternating with chills.
Swollen lymph nodes.
Diminished appetite with nausea.
Weakness and depression.
Lowered libido.
PID can often produce a pus-like fluid that scars the reproductive organs. This can result in infertility. This risk is influenced by the duration and severity of the infection along with the number of times it recurs. Women suffering from pelvic inflammatory disease are also at a higher risk of having a tubal pregnancy. This type of pregnancy is fatal for the baby and also threatens the life of the mother.
In cases where the disease is triggered by an STD like gonorrhea or Chlamydia, it can also spread to the liver tissues. This is a complication known as the Fitz Hugh Curtis syndrome and causes a collection of pus in the form of an abscess in the fallopian tubes or ovaries. If this abscess ruptures, the pus would spread into the pelvic cavity causing severe pain, nausea and a fall in blood pressure. If it spreads further into the blood stream, it can be fatal.
Diagnosis of this disease is difficult as its symptoms are usually mild and common to a number of other conditions. However, once diagnosed, it can be easily treated through antibiotic medication. Surgery is required only in cases where there is no response to antibiotics or if an abscess bursts or is at a stage where it may.  


Can Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Prove to be Fatal?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles in your pelvic area. These muscles support the organs in your pelvis like a sling. The organs in this area include the bladder, uterus (women), prostate (men) and rectum (the area at the end of the large intestine where your body stores solid waste). By contracting and relaxing these muscles, you control your bowel and bladder movements.

What is pelvic floor dysfunction?

When you are unable to control the muscles in your pelvic floor to have a bowel movement, it is called pelvic floor dysfunction. People with pelvic floor dysfunction contract these muscles rather than relax them. Because of this, they cannot have a bowel movement or they have an incomplete one.

It is important to be aware of the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction as there is no comprehensive list of causes. However, it can be said that traumatic injuries to the pelvic area seems to have a rather higher preponderance among the causes of pelvic floor dysfunction, which is also known as PFD. While giving birth to a child is an experience that is life changing, the potential downside is that it can be one of the causes of pelvic floor dysfunction in women!

Other symptoms include feeling the need to urinate often and then finding the process to be quite painful. Constipation which occurs in spite of a diet which contains enough roughage is a sign, as well, that it is about time that a person should schedule an appointment with the doctor.

Medication is a possible solution and is usually in the form of a muscle relaxant of a low intensity. However, it is great for a person who has the misfortune of having pelvic floor dysfunction to know that there are solutions which are completely bereft of the need of any form of medication!

Cure Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Reducing the effects of pelvic floor dysfunction can be quite simple, really. Warm baths and some exercises suggested on a subjective basis are quite common. This is a process called biofeedback.

Biofeedback aims to retrain the pelvic floor so that there is far better functioning. The success of this method is well known to a specialist, it has vastly improved the pelvic floor dysfunction conditions of more than 75% of the patients significantly!

The method works by observing the workings of the pelvic floor and then providing feedback regarding its coordination as it expands and contracts. Some of the many things which make this method truly great are that it is non-invasive and non-medical. As a matter of fact, taking into due account its success rate, people should really give it a shot before they try medication or surgery.

Surgery

Surgery is said to be effective in the case of rectocele. Nevertheless, this is the last resort as it is always better to sort out such problems sans having to resort to surgery. Multidisciplinary approaches which involve fields such as psychology are good options. Pelvic floor dysfunction is something that is a pain to have, but it really need not be!

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - Things You Should Know About it 

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