Treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease, also known as PPE, should be initiated as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences for a woman’s reproductive system, such as infertility or the possibility of having an ectopic pregnancy, due to the development of fallopian tube injuries..
Treatment is usually done with antibiotics, but depending on the severity of the disease, surgery may be needed to treat inflammation or drain abscesses, for example.
- PPE is an infection that begins in the vagina or cervix and is more common in sexually active women or who have an intrauterine IUD.
- Find out what are the main causes and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease.
Treatment of acute pelvic inflammatory disease involves the use of antibiotics, either orally or as an injection, for about 14 days or on a prescription.Azithromycin is the main antibiotic recommended by your doctor, but others may be recommended:
During treatment it is important that the woman is at rest, has no intimate contact, removes the IUD if using it, and taking pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and the partner should also be treated.even in the absence of symptoms, to prevent recontamination or a manifestation of the disease.
72 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment, the woman should be re-evaluated by the gynecologist to see if the chosen treatment has worked. If there is no improvement in symptoms, hospitalization may be necessary for venous treatment.
If the disease worsens and there is a chance of an abscess breaking in the tubes, surgery may be required to clean and drain the abscesses.
When treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease does not begin quickly, the disease can develop and cause various types of scarring in the female reproductive system, which can lead to a variety of complications such as:
In addition, women with inflammatory pelvic disease who do not receive any treatment also suffer from chronic pelvic pain, which eventually decreases quality of life.
Signs of improvement in pelvic inflammatory disease usually appear a few days after starting treatment and are related to reduced pelvic pain, regulation of menstrual flow, and fever relief, if applicable.
In cases where a woman has no symptoms, the gynecologist may notice signs of improvement through tests such as ultrasound or laparoscopy.
Symptoms of aggravation of PPE usually occur when treatment does not start early and, as a result, scarring appears in the reproductive system that can eventually cause bleeding outside the menstrual period, fever and even increased pelvic discomfort, with pain when urinating and during intimate contact..