Pelvic inflammatory disease or PID is an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. If it is left untreated it can cause major damage to the reproductive organs and make it very difficult to become pregnant.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is usually caused by having sex with someone who has a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea or Chlamydia. Pelvic inflammatory disease will occur when the bacteria travels past the cervix and up into the internal organs of the reproductive system.

There are a few other ways women can get pelvic inflammatory disease, but these are rare. Sometimes bacteria that are found in the vagina will travel up into the uterus and cause infection. Pelvic inflammatory disease can occasionally occur after childbirth, or a miscarriage, or after having an abortion.

The symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease are different in each woman. One symptom may be a pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen. A woman may have vaginal discharge that is green or yellow and this discharge will have an unpleasant odor.