Free risk assessment
Do I have PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the upper reproductive organs, usually when an untreated STI such as chlamydia or gonorrhea spreads. Answer a few questions about your symptoms and risk factors to see how concerned to be and where to get checked. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Mei Chen, MD, FACOG · Updated June 2026
- Annual US cases (est.)
- ~1M
- leading preventable infertility cause
- Often asymptomatic
- ~70%
- damage without obvious symptoms
- Infertility risk (1 episode)
- ~12%
- rises to ~50% after 3 episodes
- Treatable
- Yes
- 14-day broad-spectrum antibiotic course
Many infections are silent. A low result here doesn't rule pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) out. If you've had a new partner or any concern, testing is the only way to be sure.
About pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
What is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)?
PID isn't something you catch on its own — it's what can happen when an STI goes untreated. Pelvic inflammatory disease starts when an infection low down, most often chlamydia or gonorrhea, climbs up into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Because those STIs so often cause no symptoms, the first sign of trouble can be PID itself: lower-abdominal or pelvic pain, sometimes with unusual discharge, fever, or pain during sex.
What makes PID worth taking seriously is the lasting damage. It can be mild, or even completely silent, while quietly scarring the tubes — and that scarring is what leads to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pain. The earlier it's treated, the lower the risk, so a known STI exposure plus any pelvic pain is a reason to be seen, not to wait. This check weighs your answers to show how concerned to be; only a clinician can diagnose PID.
70 in 100
people who have it notice no symptoms — and can still pass it on
Screening guidance
Who should get tested for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)?
Because pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is often silent, the CDC recommends routine screening for the groups most likely to have it — not just people with symptoms.
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1
You have pelvic or lower-abdominal pain
This is the cardinal sign — especially alongside unusual discharge, fever, or pain during sex. Get seen promptly; earlier treatment means less risk of permanent tubal damage.
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2
You recently tested positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea
An untreated or under-treated STI is the most direct path to PID — make sure it's fully treated, and that partners are too.
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3
You're under 25 and sexually active
PID hits this group hardest, so yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea screening is the most reliable way to head it off before it starts.
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4
You have a new or multiple partners
Each new partner is a fresh chance of exposure — testing soon after lets you treat an infection before it can climb.
Timing
When a pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) test is reliable
There's no single test or waiting window for PID — a clinician diagnoses it from your symptoms and an exam, and usually starts antibiotics right away rather than waiting for results. The better timing is upstream: screen for chlamydia and gonorrhea regularly and treat any positive promptly, so an infection never gets the chance to ascend. If you have pelvic pain now, don't wait it out.
U.S. data
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) in the United States
PID primarily affects sexually active women of reproductive age, with peak incidence in those aged 15–25. Black and African American women are disproportionately affected — higher underlying rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea combined with lower rates of routine STI screening drive this disparity. The cascade from untreated STI to PID to infertility is a preventable public health failure: each link in that chain represents a missed opportunity for testing, treatment, or partner notification.
- 1.00M
- Estimated annual US cases (2023)
- ~1M
- estimated PID cases annually in the US
Good to Know
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) questions
Common questions about pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) and pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) testing, answered.
What are the signs of PID?
Lower-abdominal or pelvic pain is the main sign, sometimes with unusual discharge, pain during sex, bleeding between periods, or fever. But PID can also be mild or silent while quietly causing damage — which is why a known STI exposure plus any pelvic pain is worth checking.
Is PID an emergency?
It can be. Severe pelvic pain with a high fever, vomiting, or feeling very unwell needs same-day or emergency care, as it can signal an abscess. Even milder PID should be seen quickly, because delays raise the risk of lasting damage.
What causes PID?
Most often untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea spreading from the cervix up into the reproductive organs. Risk is higher with a recent new partner, a prior STI, or in the few weeks after an IUD insertion.
Can PID affect my fertility?
Yes — that's the biggest concern. Untreated PID can scar the fallopian tubes, leading to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. The earlier it's treated, the lower the risk, which is why it shouldn't be a wait-and-see.
How is PID diagnosed and treated?
There's no single test — a clinician diagnoses it from your symptoms and an exam, and usually treats presumptively with antibiotics rather than waiting. Recent partners should be tested and treated too.
Trust & transparency
How this assessment works
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Grounded in public-health guidance
The questions — and how heavily each answer counts — follow the risk factors and symptoms the CDC and WHO describe for PID.
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A risk guide, not a diagnosis
Your answers produce a risk level — how concerned to be — and flag anything that needs urgent care. Only a lab test can confirm or rule out an infection.
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Private by design
It runs in your browser. We never ask for your name, email, or anything that identifies you.
Medically reviewed · Updated
Reviewed by Dr. Mei Chen, MD, FACOG · OB-GYN
Obstetrician-gynecologist focused on reproductive and sexual health for women — pregnancy, BV, yeast, trichomoniasis and HPV/cervical screening. Our editorial guidelines →
Sources & references
6 Sources
Clinical guidance
- CDC — STI Treatment Guidelines: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (2021) https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/pid.htm
- CDC — PID Fact Sheet https://www.cdc.gov/std/pid/stdfact-pid.htm
- ACOG Practice Bulletin — Pelvic Inflammatory Disease https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2021/02/pelvic-inflammatory-disease
Data & references
- Westrom L. Incidence, prevalence, and trends of acute pelvic inflammatory disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980;138(7 Pt 2):880–892 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7446848/
- CDC — PID Detailed Fact Sheet https://www.cdc.gov/std/pid/stdfact-pid-detailed.htm
- NHANES 2013–2014 — PID Prevalence Data https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/
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