Christine Cui 2019-May-22

PID and Female Infertility:

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID occurs when inflammation and infection occurred within the female pelvic area, like the cervix, endometrium, fallopian tubes or ovaries. The infection often occurs in 3 stages, from cervix infection to the endometrium, followed by the fallopian tubes.

In its final stage, PID can cause long-term damage including scarring and blockage to the fallopian tubes. These damages may prevent the fertilised egg from passing through the tube to the uterus, which essentially leads to infertility. It is extremely important to obtain treatment for PID as soon as possible since three or more PID episode can increase the risk of fallopian tube blockage by 75 per cent.

PID is often associated with chronic back pain and pain in the lower abdominal, menstrual disturbances, abnormal vaginal discharge, and pain during sex. The most common approaches to PID in Western medicine involve the patient’s intake of antibiotics for at least 14 days. For severe cases of PID, surgery might be needed to eliminate areas with infection.

PID Treatment - Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine:

Researchers have suggested that prolonged usage of antibiotics might have a number of side effects including gastrointestinal disorders, skin reaction, liver damages and antibiotic resistance.  Similarly, a surgical operation is often not preferred as it could cause iatrogenic damage to the uterus.

From the Chinese medicine point of view, PID and its symptoms, specifically chronic pain, are caused by an invasion of heat (meaning infection), dampness, irregular blood circulation, and autoimmunity.

Acupuncture is a natural treatment for PID, as it uses needles to stimulate specific pressure points that will promote better blood flow, which may improve immunity and relieves pain.