Ovarian pathology in chronic pelvic inflammatory disease.

One hundred and sixty-six ovaries of the women of childbearing age suffering from chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) were studied histologically and compared with normal ovaries. The number of mature follicles, cystic atretic follicles, follicular cysts, corpora lutea of menstruation, regressing corpora lutea, and corpus luteum cysts were calculated for each ovary. The main difference between ovaries in chronic PID and normal controls was increase in the number of cystic follicles and follicular and corpus luteum cysts in PID. This phenomenon is explained by the altered blood supply in PID-involved ovaries covered by adhesions containing numerous blood vessels. Chronic PID did not influence the growth of follicles, and their ability to ovulate.