How offensive vagina secretion causes PID

Stay faithful to your spouse to avoid PIDCHINYERE, an easy going lady, a vir-gin, got married to Uche two years ago. Like the expectation of every marriage, children were awaited and as God will have it, Chinyere conceived few months into the marriage. Within the first three months, Chinyere had difficulty with the pregnancy and complications set in, leading her to her gynaecologist who confirmed an ectopic pregnancy.

The pregnancy was at that point terminated in order to save her life. Since then, Nneka had found it hard to achieve another pregnancy.

Later, Chinyere had to visit her gynae-cologist again and got to know she was in a mess.

According to Chinyere, the whole episode started about five months ago when she noticed that her vagina secretions gave off offensive smell and was yellowish in colour. Along with this sign, she had chronic pains in the right side of her abdomen and she vomitted too.

Within five months, Chinyere had always gone to buy vagina pessary and cream over the counter. The symptoms disappeared for a while, only to return within weeks.

This time, on getting to the hospital, the doctor had to subject her to test, which confirmed that she had Chlamydia infection, a Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

Shock was written all over her face, as she questioned her doctor on how she could have contracted it and was told it was a sexually transmitted disease, which only Chinyere could give account of how it was contracted. She received appropriate treatment and left.

On getting home, Chinyere confronted her husband, demanding for an explanation since he met her a virgin and had never cheated on him. Uche, at that point, confessed of his infidelity, of how he had been jumping from bed to bed, not knowing he was ruining his future, jeopardising their chance of becoming parents.

Chinyere is one of so many women out there, battling with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which resultant effect can mar their joy, whether as singles or married.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is very common in our society with its incidence being estimated to be 1.5 per cent annually in teenagers, in 18- 20 of out 1000 women under 25 years and 1 in 7 of women in reproductive age group receiving treatment for PID in the USA.

In a chat with Dr. Chris Aimakhu, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on what Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is, he said, PID is an infection or inflammation in the pelvis or lower genital tract from the vagina to the cervix and the inner lining of the womb, where a woman’s menstruation emanate from (endometritis) from the tubes (salpingitis), from the ovaries (oophoritis), all the surrounding structures (parametritis) and the whole pelvis itself.

Dr. Aimakhu added that PID is mostly sexually transmitted infections, by an organism called Neisseria gonorrhea but that is not leaving out the fact that there are other media of contracting it aside sex.

According to the expert, a woman can get it through her husband’s introduction of dirty fingers into the vagina.

He said women who stand the risks of PID are those who use contraceptive device like IUD, which is usually inserted into the vagina. Also, women who have poor personal hygiene, especially in the way they clean their private parts (back to front), those who terminate pregnancies, those who go through improper delivery process and following appendicitis procedure not done well. With all of these, the infection may set in.

PID, according to the doctor, can also be caused by tuberculosis, mostly of the abdomen, degenerating into genital tuberculosis. He also added that PID is common in poor people, that is, people of low socio- economic class and in young people.

When asked on how a woman can know she has PID, Aimakhu pointed out that normally, every woman has vagina discharge which protects her, but when she begins to notice that the vagina secretion gives off foul or offensive smell, suspicion should arise.

He, however, said depending on the causative agent, the discharge the vagina will produce might be whitish, which suggests candida or yellowish-green which suggests chlamydia.

Apart from this vagina secretion/ discharge, she might begin to experience fever, headache, chronic pain on either of the sides of her abdomen, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and lethargy.

According to the medical practitioner, a woman may suffer from either acute or chronic form of PID. When it is acute, the Gynecologist said it indicates new onset of the infection which may present for just few days. And if it is chronic, it means the said woman has been treating herself and not just getting better, say for 4- 5 months, just as was in Chinyere’s case.

The woman having the chronic PID apart from the above symptoms looks very ill, tired and have abdominal pain. Also, when you put a finger into her vagina, she has tenderness because of the inflammation.

Because the infection, PID produces pus, any woman who notices the above symptoms in her body should consult a gynaecologist immediately and not indulge in self-medication, that is, treating with drugs that might not be appropriate for the infection she has, as this self treatment/medication can result in infertility or ectopic pregnancy in those that finally achieve pregnancy.

He therefore advised women to consult their doctors who will subject them to test(s) and give them appropriate antibiotics.

As ways of prevention, Dr. Aimakhu said sexual partner has to be treated simultaneously with the woman, so as not to recontract the infection because men are not sympthomatic. Barrier method of contraception, i.e. the use of condoms is encouraged for those who cannot do without multiple sex partners. He stressed the need for good personal hygiene as he discouraged men from putting dirty fingers into their women’s vagina.

And in the situation where the woman has contacted PID, prompt, accurate diagnosis and treatment itself and partner should be sought.