Preferences for fertility in women with pelvic inflammatory disease.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the value that women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) assign to the health impact of future infertility.


METHODS
Cross-sectional observations on patient preferences.


METHODS
Participants in an existing multicenter clinical trial of PID treatment options.


METHODS
Five hundred thirty-two women with signs and symptoms of PID who were identified from emergency departments and sexually transmitted disease clinics.


METHODS
Women were asked to rate whether life with future infertility was more or less meaningful than life with each of seven chronic health conditions: sinus congestion, insomnia, chronic headache, asthma, incontinence, dialysis, and paralysis.


METHODS
Preferences regarding future infertility.


RESULTS
Most respondents rated future infertility as being worse than sinus congestion and asthma but better than the health impact of incontinence, dialysis, and paralysis. There was a wide range of opinion, with 18% viewing future infertility as minor (better than all conditions) and 5% viewing it as extremely important (worse than all conditions). Future infertility ratings were influenced by race, parity, difficulty in conceiving, and views on the importance of future pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of women with PID rate future infertility as a significant issue. Optimizing access to infertility treatment may affect the quality of life for such women.
Songer
Thomas J
TJ
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. tjs@pitt.edu
Lave
Judith R
JR
Kamlet
Mark S
MS
Frederick
Shane
S
Ness
Roberta B
RB
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy