It is often included in the umbrella term of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), along with endometritis, oophoritis, myometritis, parametritis, and peritonitis.

The most common are: an abnormal smell and colour of vaginal discharge, fever, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and frequent urination.

[3] It's been theorized that retrograde menstrual flow and the cervix opening during menstruation allows the infection to reach the fallopian tubes.

Other risk factors include surgical procedures that break the cervical barrier, such as: Another risk is factors that alter the microenvironment in the vagina and cervix, allowing infecting organisms to proliferate and eventually ascend to the fallopian tube: Finally, sexual intercourse may facilitate the spread of disease from the vagina to the fallopian tube.

However, this is thought of being an effect of earlier sexual debut, multiple partners, and decreased ability to receive proper health care rather than any independent risk factor for salpingitis.

As an effect of an increased risk due to multiple partners, the prevalence of salpingitis is highest for people age 15–24 years.

[4] Salpingitis can also lead to tubal factor infertility because the eggs released in ovulation cannot make contact with the sperm.