Pelvic inflammatory disease during pregnancy

Abstract

Pelvic inflammatory disease associated with pregnancy is not commonly reported. We present three illustrative cases at ten, 13, and 26 weeks of gestation. Unlike pelvic abscess, which may be discovered at any stage of gestation, acute salpingitis during pregnancy occurs more commonly in the first trimester. Both processes are associated with substantial fetal wastage. Diagnosis may be difficult if the obstetrician is not aware that these infections can occur during pregnancy. The diagnosis is often made at laparotomy by a physician expecting appendicitis or another inflammatory condition. Since salpingitis during pregnancy, like salpingitis generally, is amenable to antibiotic therapy, surgery may be avoided if appropriate antibiotic therapy is quickly instituted. The pregnant patient and her fetus may be spared general anesthesia and the attendant risks of abdominal surgery.