Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Treatment Overview
Antibiotics are the main treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). And it's important to treat PID right away, even if you have only one or two symptoms. This is because waiting several days to treat you could raise your risks of fallopian tube damage and infertility.Reference 1
You may be given medicine even before lab results have come back, based on your medical history and a physical exam.
Most cases of PID are cured with antibiotics. But sometimes surgery is needed to drain an abscess or cut scar tissue.
Your doctor will recommend hospitalization if you are pregnant, are very ill, are vomiting, may need surgery for a Reference tubo-ovarian abscess Opens New Window or Reference ectopic pregnancy, or aren't able to treat yourself at home.
If you have an IUD and you get PID, you may not need to have the IUD removed, depending on how severe the infection is.Reference 2
Treatment for your sex partner(s)
If your PID was caused by a Reference sexually transmitted infection (STI) Opens New Window, anyone with whom you have had sex in the last 60 days should be checked and treated.
Having sex too soon after treatment could cause your infection to come back, so it's important to wait. The amount of time you must wait depends on what type of treatment you have. For more information about when it's safe to resume sex, see Reference Home Treatment. Talk to your doctor to be sure.
Follow-up treatment
Follow-up visits to your doctor are important for making sure that treatment is working and to prevent complications, such as chronic pelvic pain and infertility.
Your doctor will want to check you 2 to 3 days after you've started treatment, then 7 to 10 days later. You will also have a checkup 4 to 6 weeks after treatment has ended, to check your recovery.
After you've had PID, you will need to have any further pelvic symptoms checked promptly. Your doctor will want to examine you for signs of another infection, possible pelvic organ damage (adhesions), and other possible causes of your symptoms.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference August 7, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Reference Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology |
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