National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Program and Training Branch
Patient Counseling and Education
Patient counseling and education should cover the nature of the disease, transmission issues, and risk reduction.
Nature of the Disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease may be asymptomatic or symptomatic.
A history of having had PID increases the risk for developing PID.
The potential sequelae of PID are severe and include ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility.
Transmission Issues
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are efficiently transmitted from males to females via vaginal intercourse.
Patients and their sex partners should abstain from intercourse until therapy is completed and until they and their sex partners no longer have symptoms.
Risk Reduction
The clinician should:
Assess the patient’s behavior-change potential.
Develop individualized risk-reduction plans with the patient for lasting results.
Discuss prevention strategies such as abstinence, monogamy
with an uninfected partner, use of condoms, and limiting the number of sex partners. Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of chlamydia and gonorrhea.
