pelvic inflammatory disease

noun

: inflammation of the female reproductive tract (such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries) that occurs especially as a result of a sexually transmitted disease and is a leading cause of infertility in women

Examples of pelvic inflammatory disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Dalkon Shield, a type of IUD that became popular in the U.S. in the 1970s, was eventually linked to health issues including infections and pelvic inflammatory disease, causing some lingering concerns about these devices. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

If it is not successfully treated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, as well as infertility in women and sterility in men. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 1 Nov. 2023

However, if left untreated, the infections can lead to infertility and can be especially harmful to women, leading, for example, to pelvic inflammatory disease. —Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2023

Left untreated, gonorrhea poses a risk of infertility and can prove especially damaging to women, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. —Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

pelvic inflammatory disease

noun

: infection of the female reproductive tract (as the fallopian tubes and ovaries) that results from microorganisms (as Neisseria gonorrhea or Chlamydia trachomatis) transmitted especially during sexual intercourse but also by other means (as during surgery, abortion, or childbirth), is marked especially by lower abdominal pain, an abnormal vaginal discharge, and fever, and is a leading cause of infertility in women

—abbreviation PID