Introduction

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an ascending infection of the female upper genital tract which includes endometritis, parametritis, salpingitis, oophoritis, tubo-ovarian abscess, peritonitis and perihepatitis. Most commonly, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are the causative agents although vaginal and enteric pathogens can also contribute. PID is highly preventable through the early recognition and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). If it does develop, PID is associated with significant morbidity including chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, pelvic adhesions, tubo-ovarian abscesses, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Unfortunately, evidence shows that adolescents receive suboptimal treatment for PID with large database reviews showing only 30 to 40% adherence to the treatment guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control [1][2]. Intervention efforts aimed at preventing PID during adolescence focus on prevention of all STDs, early recognition, screening and treatment of gonorrhea and chlamydial infections.

see also Benign Tubo-Ovarian Disease