NURS 6501: Advanced Pathophysiology

MODULE 7 CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: STD/PID Those who are sexually active with a combination of multiple partners and have unprotected sex are at a high risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). STI’s include infections such as chlamydia, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis that can affect the individual emotionally, physically, and socially (Du et al., 2022). The patient in the case scenario has an increased white blood count of 18 and increased Creactive protein of 67mg/L, which shows signs of infection and gram-negative diplococci from the pelvic exam swab, which can be present in Neisseria gonorrhea (Rashbrook et al., 2017). Given the risk of STIs, this can affect the aspects of fertility and show an increase in inflammatory markers. Sexually Transmitted Infections and the Effect on Fertility STIs left untreated lead to infertility, more specifically by, pelvic inflammatory disease. This is present in untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia (Tsevat et al., 2017). When gonorrhea goes without treatment, it can turn into severe inflammation, causing scarring. This can lead to infection in a woman's uterus, uterine tubes, and peritoneum, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (McCance & Huether, 2019). PID is what will increase the chances of infertility. This is caused by damage to the ciliated epithelium of the uterine tubes and decreases movement of the cilia. This reduces the transmission of sperm to the egg (McCance & Huether, 2019). The patient in the case scenario presents with left lower quadrant pain and green vaginal discharge, which can signify PID (Tsevat et al., 2017). It is essential to detect STIs such as gonorrhea to prevent infertility from happening. Inflammatory Markers in STD/PID