Other infections affecting the reproductive system

Puerperal infection

A common cause of death during childbirth before the widespread use of modern sanitary practices and antibiotics, puerperal infections occur when bacteria, usually Streptococcus, invade wounds in the birth canal. The infection may cause abscess formation and can involve all of the genital organs and adjacent blood vessels, reproductive structures, and other abdominal tissues. Treatment consists of antibiotics, supportive therapy, and occasionally surgical drainage of abscesses.

Tuberculosis

Primary tuberculosis of the reproductive system is rare and is usually brought from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream. Nodular or pustular lesions on the penis or scrotum of men or the vulva of women, resembling the gumma (nodules) of tertiary syphilis, may appear one week after tubercular infection. The nodules can become ulcerated, resembling the primary chancre of syphilis. Tubercular abscesses can also develop in most of the internal reproductive organs. Treatment consists of administration of antibiotics. As the incidence of tuberculosis has declined in the developed countries, tuberculosis of the reproductive system has become exceedingly rare.

Inflammatory conditions

Balanitis, or inflammation of the glans penis, and posthitis, or infection of the foreskin, result from the retention of secretions and bacteria beneath the foreskin and can be prevented with proper hygiene. Balanitis can also develop as a complication of certain sexually transmitted diseases. Acute prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate gland, may be caused by any of a variety of microorganisms, including those which cause sexually transmitted diseases; chronic prostatitis, the most common reproductive system infection in men older than 50, often follows the acute infection. Epididymitis, inflammation of the epididymis (a duct of the sperm canal), can result in sterility. All of these are nonspecific infections that must be treated with antibiotics appropriate for the causative organisms.

In women, other infections of the reproductive system include bartholinitis, an inflammation of the vulvovaginal (Bartholin) duct near the opening of the vagina, and vaginitis, generalized inflammation of the vagina caused by various yeasts, bacteria, or other irritants. Bacterial vaginosis, a type of bacterial infection, occurs as a result of changes in the balance of bacteria in the vagina. The most common symptoms of such ailments are vaginal discomfort, vaginal discharge, and itching and pain during urination or intercourse. Again, treatment of these conditions depends largely on the causative organism.

In the female: endometriosis

Endometriosis, a disease occurring only during a woman’s menstrual life, is the growth of endometrial tissue in an abnormal location. This may occur in the uterus or elsewhere. The most common location of the implants of endometrial tissue are the ovaries; other areas and organs affected are the uterus, the ligaments supporting the pelvic organs, the rectovaginal septum (the membrane dividing the rectum from the vagina), the sigmoid colon (that portion of the large intestine that leads into the rectum), the lower genital tract, and the peritoneum (membrane) lining the pelvis. The condition may cause infertility. Treatment is with pain medications, hormone therapy, surgery, or a combination of these approaches.

In the male: benign prostatic hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, an overgrowth of normal glandular and muscular elements of the prostate gland, arises in the immediate vicinity of the urethra and is the most frequent cause of urinary obstruction. The enlarged prostate usually causes symptoms after the age of 40. If undetected, the obstruction may cause bladder and kidney damage. The diagnosis is made by rectal examination or ultrasound, intravenous pyelogram (an X-ray of the urinary tract), and cystoscopy (direct viewing of the bladder and urethra). Treatment is by surgical removal of the excess tissue. The prognosis is good if detection is early and treatment occurs before the kidneys are damaged.