Endometritis occurs when the lining of the uterus becomes inflamed or irritated due to infection, and is more commonly known under the general diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1 million women in the United States suffer with this condition each year. Moreover, the National Library of Medicine indicates that one out of eight teenage girls who are sexually active will acquire this infection before her 20th birthday. Unfortunately, statistics about PID are conservative because many cases of conditions that fit under the umbrella term of PID go undiagnosed.
Cause: Sexual Behavior
Endometritis, as a chronic form of PID, primarily occurs due to sexually transmitted disease (STD) pathogens such as gonorrhea and chlamydia or medical history of a previous sexually transmitted disease, especially chlamydia or gonorrhea. Additionally, unsafe sexual activity that includes the following increase one's risk of PID: unprotected sex with males who are infected with an STD, multiple sex partners, a history of PID, and douching. Indeed, douching may hide signs of an infection; and importantly, this practice may aid in transporting infectious agents up from the vagina into the uterus. Also, the period of adolescence or being sexually active before the age of 25 years increases the probability of acquiring PID.
Cause: Post-Procedural
While the usual way of getting endometritis or PID is through sexually transmitted pathogens, an infection of this type also can follow a gynecological intervention or procedure. Such procedures, for example, could include an endometrial biopsy, insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) or a therapeutic abortion. Physician-assisted procedures, labor and delivery (childbirth) or a miscarriage are other possible sources of PID.
Cause: Oral Contraceptives
Birth control pills have been found to increase risk of PID in some medical cases. A suggested explanation for this is that birth control pills may produce vulnerability to cervical tissue or cervical ectropion, which consequently permits easier bacterial colonization.
