Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Cervicitis and its Effect on Fertility | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
Is cervicitis the same thing as PID? I was diagnosed with cervextisitis a year ago and was given antibiotics for it. All I was told about it was that it is an inflammation of the cervix. I am now afraid that I will not be able to get pregnant because of it. We have been trying for seven months now.— Abade in Columbus, MT | | | ANSWER |
February 20, 2002 | | | Dear Abade,
Gonorrhea and chlamydia can infect just the cervix, called cervicitis, or can travel up and infect the uterus, tubes and ovaries, which causes pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. It sounds like your doctor felt that you only had cervicitis at the time of your diagnosis, which is good. Unfortunately, though, sometimes PID can be subtle, especially if it is caused by chlamydia. So it is possible that you already had PID at the time that you were diagnosed with cervicitis. There isn't any way to tell right now.
Trying to get pregnant can be very frustrating when it doesn't happen right away. And while we don't call it infertility until you have been trying for 12 months, it can feel like a very long time when you are constantly waiting for news. In general, experts recommend trying to conceive for 12 months, unless you are over 35 years old. Even couples who haven't conceived by 12 months have a 50 percent chance of getting pregnant in the next year. If you aren't pregnant by a year, your doctor or a fertility specialist can do tests to try to identify the problem, and can recommend steps to take to help you conceive. Good luck to you!
— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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