Ultrasound — and 3D ultrasound, in particular — gives a detailed view of the pelvis, uterus and fallopian tubes, providing OB-GYNs with the tools necessary for a more accurate PID diagnosis.
To learn if you have PID, your gynecologist or other health care professional will start by asking about your medical history, including your sexual habits, birth control method, and symptoms. If you have PID symptoms, you will need to have a pelvic exam. This exam can show if your reproductive organs are tender.
Testing for PID
Your doctor will diagnose PID based on your symptoms and an examination, as well as tests. When your doctor examines you, they'll look for tenderness in your pelvic region and an abnormal vaginal discharge. This will usually involve a gentle internal examination by the doctor or nurse.
Doctors can usually find out if you have PID by doing a pelvic exam. You may also be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other infections, because they often cause PID. Your nurse or doctor may take samples of urine, blood, and/or fluids from your vagina and cervix.
Pap test. For this test, cells are taken from the cervix and checked under a microscope. It's used to find cancer, infection, or inflammation.
Asymptomatic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and trichomoniasis are the two STIs that can be easily detected by Pap smear.
A pelvic ultrasound is a helpful procedure for diagnosing PID. An ultrasound can view the pelvic area to see whether the fallopian tubes are enlarged or whether an abscess is present. In some cases, a laparoscopy may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
Laparoscopy is the criterion standard for the diagnosis of PID, but the diagnosis of PID in emergency departments and clinics is often based on clinical criteria, with or without additional laboratory and imaging evidence.
Swab test. Your doctor will take samples from your vagina and your cervix with a swab (similar to a cotton bud). It usually takes a few days for the swab result to come back. A positive swab result confirms a diagnosis of PID and means you need treatment.
Computed tomography (CT) is usually reserved for evaluating the extent of PID within the abdominal cavity. In early PID the most common findings are cervicitis, salpingitis, oophoritis, thickened uterosacral ligaments, and fluid in the fallopian tubes and pelvis.
But for the most adequate testing, one should do both a urine, blood, or swab test and a pelvic exam. It's also important to remember that some STDs like herpes or genital warts are sometimes first detected by sight through a pelvic exam, but can be missed through a urine test.
Women with PID may present with a variety of clinical signs and symptoms that range from unnoticeable or subtle and mild to severe. PID can go unrecognized by women and their health care providers when the symptoms are mild.
PID can cause chronic pelvic pain in some people, while in others symptoms can be mild or silent – meaning some people may not even know they have PID. PID is treatable, if left untreated it can cause: infertility. ectopic pregnancy.
It may take upwards of a year for most people to develop PID, but others can develop it earlier, depending on the severity of the infection.
PID can make getting pregnant harder, and 1 in 10 women with the condition become infertile. Bacteria that makes its way into the fallopian tubes can lead to inflammation, which causes scar tissue to form. And that scar tissue can create blockages in the tubes that make it harder for the sperm and egg to meet.
If you get prompt diagnosis and treatment for an infection, antibiotics can cure PID. But treatment can't reverse any damage that already happened to your reproductive organs. Don't wait to get treated.
Many kinds of bacteria can cause PID. The most common bacteria are two sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gonorrhea and Chlamydia. But, bacteria that are usually found in the vagina may also cause PID.
PID is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are often subtle and mild. Many episodes of PID go undetected because the woman or her health care provider fails to recognize the implications of mild or nonspecific symptoms.
How is PID diagnosed? PID can be diagnosed with a vaginal examination and vaginal and cervical swabs. Other tests include a blood test, a urine test and an ultrasound.
If it's diagnosed at an early stage, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can be treated easily and effectively with antibiotics. These can be prescribed by your GP or a doctor at a sexual health clinic. But left untreated, it can lead to more serious long-term complications.
Mild PID without fever or severe pain is usually treated with a combination of antibiotic shots and oral antibiotics (pills). A more serious infection may be treated with several days of intravenous (IV) antibiotics given once or twice a day.
A Pap smear can't detect STIs. To test for infections like chlamydia or gonorrhea, your healthcare provider takes a swab from your cervix. Blood tests can also identify certain STIs.
So, while Pap tests do not directly check for STDs, if you have abnormal Pap test results your healthcare provider may follow up with an HPV test to confirm whether you have this particular kind of STD. Check for HPV from the privacy and comfort of home with the Everlywell at-home HPV Test.