Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Salpingo-Oophoritis

Inflammation spreads to the fallopian tubes and further extends to cause oophoritis. Since the fallopian tubes and ovaries are inflamed together, it is called salpingo-oophoritis or adnexal inflammation. This condition commonly occurs in reproductive-age women. It has acute and chronic forms. Acute presentation includes high fever (up to 40°C), chills, severe pain on both sides of lower abdomen, abdominal distension, increased vaginal discharge, fatigue, loss of appetite, occasional constipation, painful urination, etc. Chronic form presents with abdominal pain and distension, soreness and heaviness in the lower back and sacrum, early menstruation, excessive menstrual flow, dysmenorrhea, infertility, increased vaginal discharge, painful intercourse, fatigue, etc. Chronic cases often develop from acute ones, frequently persisting and easily relapsing after fatigue, affecting overall health.
Western medicine believes this condition arises from infection during menstruation or after abortion, or spread from adjacent organ inflammation.
Diagnosis should be based on medical history: recent delivery, abortion, other intrauterine procedures, or history of sexual intercourse during menstruation. Combined with symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, increased vaginal discharge, menstrual irregularity, and physical examination findings including enlarged uterus, tenderness, thickened adnexa, palpable masses, and tenderness, diagnosis can be confirmed. In acute adnexal inflammation, laboratory tests show increased total white blood cell count, elevated neutrophils, and accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which aid diagnosis.
Western medicine typically treats this condition with sulfonamides, antibiotics, and hormone therapy if necessary. For chronic cases with tubal or ovarian abscesses prone to acute flare-ups, surgical intervention is recommended.
This condition falls under the TCM categories of "vaginal discharge," "abdominal pain," and "fever." TCM holds that exposure to pathogenic toxins, accumulation of damp-heat, disharmony of nutritive and defensive Qi, and stagnation of blood and Qi lead to fever, abdominal pain, and increased vaginal discharge.