A 21-year-old female presents with left lower quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and vaginal discharge. She has a history of multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use. What could be the potential causes and what are the next steps?
This presentation is suggestive of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is often due to sexually transmitted infections. However, other conditions like appendicitis or ovarian torsion could present similarly. Initial evaluation should include a pelvic examination, STI testing, urine pregnancy test, and potentially ultrasound. If PID is confirmed, antibiotics should be initiated.