Incidence and sequelae of acute pelvic inflammatory disease among active component females, U.S. Armed Forces, 1996-2016.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a consequence of untreated or inadequately treated sexually transmitted infections that can itself lead to infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Annual screening for asymptomatic chlamydia and gonorrhea infection helps reduce the incidence of acute PID. In the military, routine versus risk-based individual screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea began in some services in 2001, with full implementation across the services by 2005. From 1996 through 2016, rates of acute PID among active component women started to decline in the mid-2000s, consistent with national trends and coinciding with implementation of routine annual chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Of active component women diagnosed with acute PID from 1996 through 2012, 6.1% were subsequently diagnosed with infertility or ectopic pregnancy, with higher proportions found among women in the Army and those aged 25-34 years. The overall decrease in the rates of acute PID in the military is consistent with national trends, and continued screening for asymptomatic chlamydia and gonorrhea infections should result in a continuing decline in the incidence of acute PID.