Although all women are afraid of the appearance of such a pathology as cervical erosion, it is one of the benign processes in the female body. The place of its localization is the mucous membrane of the neck, on which a rounded formation up to two centimeters in diameter is formed. There are several varieties of erosion, and each of them has its own characteristics. So, they distinguish between congenital, pseudo-erosion and true. We will talk more about erosion of the cervix, types, causes, symptoms further.
General information
First of all, it should be noted that cervical erosion is one of the most common diseases that concern women. Strong fear of erosion is not worth it, because, as already mentioned, this is a benign process, which only in extreme cases has serious consequences.
A little earlier in the article it was said that erosion has several varieties, the features of which should be discussed and considered in more detail.
Congenital erosion
With congenital erosion, the cervical cylindrical epithelium shifts, and as a result, a chronic disease of this type occurs. The main feature is that such erosion has practically no symptoms and is more likely to occur in childhood or adolescence. It is possible to identify such a disease only when examined by a gynecologist. Congenital erosion is interesting because it does not need treatment, since the possibility of its development into a malignant tumor is almost completely excluded.
True erosion
True erosion, in contrast to its other species, chooses a pharynx as the place of its localization, or rather, its external or posterior side. It is much less common to find such erosion on the lip of the cervix. As for its appearance, this is not a very large area that has a rounded shape and a bright red hue, sometimes it can even bleed. if there is erosion, then it is a clear sign that was damaged mucosa. In the case of true erosion, purulent clusters may form on it. This type of erosion, there are only fourteen days, after which the place is covered with epithelium. And then comes the next stage, which is called pseudo-erosion.
Pseudo-erosion
Pseudo- erosion is a type of cervical erosion in which a patch appears that is bright red. It is impossible to describe its shape, because every woman is their own, as well as size. Pseudo-erosion can have a diameter of several millimeters, and can reach two to three centimeters. Sometimes on the surface of the wound, slight mucous secretions form, which may include pus. It is impossible to establish the duration of the disease, since much depends on what caused the wound, and what methods of control were taken. Its main danger is that relapse can occur, and a safe wound will develop into a cancerous tumor. The doctor must take this fact into account when prescribing treatment.
Causes of erosion
There are a number of reasons why the disease can occur, and each of them is special in its own way. Let's figure out what are the causes of cervical erosion (the treatment of this disease depends on provoking factors):
- The main reason is mechanical injuries. They can occur during intercourse, if the man is too rude and not careful, due to abortions, which are carried out by curettage, and erosion can also occur directly during childbirth.
- Some sexually transmitted infections can cause a wound to appear on the cervix. Among such diseases, genital herpes and the papilloma virus are distinguished.
- If a woman knows that an infection lives in her genital tract and does not react to it, then most likely, soon she will have erosion.
- If sexual activity was started too early or too late, then this is also a serious reason for the cervix to be damaged. Everything should happen in due time.
- And also erosion occurs in girls who too often change their sexual partners or, conversely, are content with too few sexual relationships.
- Even a banal violation of the menstrual cycle can lead to damage to the neck.
- A sharp decrease in immunity is another reason for erosion.
- It is especially dangerous if a woman combines several of the above reasons at once. In this case, it is almost impossible to avoid the appearance of a wound on the cervix.
Erosion is quite rare in patients who are in retirement age, but if this happens, then the cause may be the pressure of the uterine ring. There is another kind of which worth mentioning - physiological erosion. They occur in girls who have not yet reached the age of 25 years, and has the property of healing by itself.
Symptoms
In addition to the reasons why cervical erosion appears, every woman should know her symptoms in order to seek help from her gynecologist in time.
In almost a hundred percent of cases, erosion does not manifest itself. There is no certain symptomatology in the world that would unmistakably indicate that a woman has erosion. Therefore, most often, this disease is detected only at a routine examination by a gynecologist. However, in medical practice, symptoms have been established that clearly indicate that the cervix is damaged:
- Women have bloody discharge, which can in no way be associated with the menstrual cycle. Especially often, such discharge appears after sexual intercourse.
- Many women who were diagnosed with erosion felt pain during sex.
- Perhaps even the appearance of purulent discharge. This is already clear evidence that an inflammatory infection has also joined erosion, which significantly aggravates the state of things. Some patients may confuse such discharge with thrush or the onset of menstruation.
So, most of the practicing gynecologists attribute to the signs of cervical erosion, excretion and pain, especially those that occur during or after sexual intercourse.
Diagnostics
An experienced gynecologist will be able to indicate the presence of erosion after the first examination of the patient, however, a number of tests are required to accurately establish the diagnosis and begin the treatment process:
- First of all, the doctor is obliged to take a smear from a woman on the flora. This procedure is standard when visiting a gynecologist.
- Further held extended colposcopy.
- Also, the doctor may prescribe various cytological studies.
- Diagnosis of PCR is carried out, which is necessary in order to exclude the presence of any sexually transmitted disease.
- A woman takes a blood test to determine if she has HIV, syphilis or hepatitis.
- Bacteriological culture must be surrendered.
- If the doctor has doubts about the benignness of the tumor, he may also prescribe a biopsy. Such an analysis is not prescribed to all patients, but only if absolutely necessary and at the discretion of the attending physician.
From this we see that the causes of cervical erosion and the treatment of the disease can be precisely determined only after all the necessary tests have been carried out.
Treatment
We have already found out the causes and symptoms of cervical erosion, while treatment requires a separate paragraph in the article, since it is not a common type of disease for all. Therapy is prescribed depending on what type of erosion a woman has, what are its sizes, whether there are concomitant infectious diseases.
So, congenital erosion is only enough to constantly monitor, since in most cases it heals independently. As for treatment, surgical intervention is not excluded, but doctors are trying to get by with more conservative methods. It all depends solely on the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Perhaps the phrase “conservative treatment” is not clear to some. This means that, first of all, the doctor does not fight against erosion itself, but with the reason why it appeared. Therefore, in this case, the main task is to determine what disease was accompanied by the appearance of wounds. After an accurate diagnosis, the gynecologist prescribes therapy. Most often, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. As excipients, immunomodulators and anti-inflammatory drugs are used.
Local cervical processing may be performed during the examination. For this, special preparations are used that lead to coagulation of the area that has been damaged. But such a procedure can be carried out only if erosion refers to benign formations. This method is well suited for girls who do not yet have children. Such drugs do not leave scars on the neck, which means that there is a possibility that during the birth there will not be rupture of the mucosa, and erosion will not occur again. This is perhaps the main advantage of the method. But he has one drawback - no patient can be insured against relapse.
If this method does not show a result, then surgical intervention is prescribed. This is not an operation, but simply cauterization of the wound. There are several ways to conduct it:
- Electrosurgery.
- Laser destruction.
- Thermocoagulation.
- Cryosurgery.
- Radiosurgery.
Let's take a closer look at the types of cauterization of cervical erosion for women who have not given birth and already have children.
Cryodestruction
This method is one of the most gentle, since it uses liquid nitrogen, which, as it were, freezes the wound and does not affect healthy tissue. In addition to the effectiveness and safety of this method, it is also distinguished that during the procedure the patient practically does not feel anything. And also there is completely no risk that a scar forms on the cervical canal. It takes about four weeks to fully heal the neck. An irregular, watery discharge is a side effect. Doctors during the healing period recommend refraining from strong physical exertion and sexual intercourse.
Laser treatment
Laser moxibustion is one of the relatively new treatments for cervical erosion. He is good at being contactless. The laser is simply pointed at the wound and within a certain time it heals. No effect on healthy tissues occurs, which is another definite plus. Especially often, laser treatment is prescribed to non-giving birth girls. Because it leaves no traces.
Radio wave treatment
Radio waves are a type of cauterization of cervical erosion that has appeared a long time ago. It is practically painless, which was achieved due to the fact that the radio waves seem to “solder” the nerve endings that are in the wound and around it. During this procedure, all healthy tissue remains intact. Perhaps even use in young girls who do not yet have children. The procedure is also good because after it the woman has practically no restrictions and there are no scars.
ethnoscience
We considered surgical removal of cervical erosion, but we must not forget about folk recipes.
Probably, there is no such disease that traditional medicine would not cure. Even for the treatment of cervical erosion, there are several useful recipes here. However, doctors do not trust these methods of treatment, since they rarely bring a truly positive result. Alternative recipes can be used to stop the growth of the wound or in order to prevent inflammation.
The most common recipe from the people is tampons dipped in sea buckthorn oil. And also grandmother’s recipes recommend douching using a calendula solution. Of course, these substances have anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties, however, if you use only these recipes, then it is unlikely to be completely cured. In general, alternative recipes can be used only after prior consultation with a specialist. Because you can not only not help, but even more harm yourself.
Prevention
There is a whole set of rules for the prevention of all types of cervical erosion, with which not only every woman, but also her partner should be familiarized:
- It is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene, and this applies not only to the female, but also to the male half.
- If a woman makes contact with a new sexual partner, then she simply must insist that he use a condom.
- If a girl does not have a permanent partner, and men often change, then this can lead to the fact that the microflora of her vagina changes, and this will entail the development of various infections, which can then cause erosion.
- It is necessary to visit a gynecologist regularly, or rather once every six months, in order to detect the disease in time and take up its treatment.
- If you notice at least some changes, then consult a doctor immediately, because even the slightest discomfort during intercourse or just like that can signal the development of a disease.
So, if you follow these simple rules, then you will be able to avoid the appearance of any type of cervical erosion. But do not forget that no woman is safe from this problem, so you can not be 100% sure of her safety. Your main duty is to visit a specialist who will be able to warn you about the problem in time and get rid of it. And remember, there is nothing to worry about. Indeed, a large number of women are afraid of such diseases, and do not go to the doctor, which they later regret very much.