Pelvic inflammatory disease among female recruit trainees, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2012

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection causing an inflammatory reaction in the upper genital tract. It can be treated with antibiotics, but since it is often asymptomatic, women often delay seeking health care, which may result in long-term sequelae such as infertility. Among 161,501 female recruits who began basic training between January 2002 and December 2011, 1,750 (1.1%) met the surveillance case definition for PID during the 12 months following completion of their basic military training. The overall incidence rate (11.2 per 1,000 person-years) showed a stable trend during the surveillance period, with the exception of a decline for females accessed in 2011. The unadjusted rates were higher among women who were not screened for chlamydia during basic training. Compared to their respective counterparts, rates were higher in service women aged 17-20, of black, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity, married, in the Army, and who had a chlamydia diagnosis after basic training. The lowest rates were among women 25 years and older, other race/ethnicity, and in the Coast Guard. The findings in this report may warrant further evaluation of the long-term impact of chlamydia screening programs for recruit trainees on PID and PID-related sequelae among service women.