Pregnancy is the most exciting and important period in the life of any woman. At this time, the work of all organs and systems of the body is aimed at preserving the life of the unborn child. The cervical canal is no exception . What it is? This is one of the most important departments of the internal genital organs of a woman, which connects the vagina and the uterine cavity. During childbirth, the cervical canal (photo below) opens and forms, together with the vagina and uterus, the common birth canal.
Cervical canal - what is it and what are its functions?
The main function of the channel is to protect against infection and ensure the penetration of sperm into the uterine cavity during ovulation.
The uterine cavity is absolutely sterile. This is possible due to the mucous membrane of the channel, in which a large number of cells that produce mucus are formed. Its chemical and physical properties are directly affected by the level of female sex hormones. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, as well as at the end, the mucus has a more viscous consistency and has an acidic environment. Viscous mucus acts as a cork and closes the cervical canal of the uterus. In an acidic environment, as you know, microbes die, and sperm lose their mobility and become unable to fertilize. Due to the acidic environment, the infection cannot penetrate the uterine cavity. In the middle of the cycle, the level of estrogen (female sex hormones) is maximum, due to this, the mucus becomes more liquid and acquires an alkaline environment. It is on these few days that the sperm have the ability to fertilize a mature egg.
Congenital pathology
Improper organ formation can trigger various anomalies:
The formation of the second cervical canal. Such an anomaly is observed when during the development all internal genital organs are doubled: two uterus with appendages, two cervix and two cervical canals. The vagina can be one, although the development of the second is also possible. Such a pathology may not interfere with normal pregnancy and normal childbirth. Surgical intervention is required if this anomaly is the cause of infertility.
Atresia or fusion of the cervical canal. With this pathology, the functional connection between the organs is disturbed, the vagina does not communicate with the uterine cavity. For this reason, during menstruation, blood will collect in the uterine cavity, this can lead to peritonitis (inflammation in the abdominal cavity) or rupture of the fallopian tubes or uterus. Also, with such an anomaly, sperm cannot enter the uterine cavity, which can provoke infertility. In this situation, surgery is inevitable.
Cervical canal - what effect does pregnancy have on it?
With the onset of pregnancy, the cervical canal (what it is, already discussed above) changes color from pale pink to cyanotic. It is this symptom that enables the doctor to diagnose pregnancy in the early stages. After conception, the hormone progesterone begins to be produced in the ovaries, due to which the mucus in the cervical canal becomes even thicker and stronger. Thanks to the mucous plug blocking the canal, the future baby is reliably protected from the penetration of pathogenic microbes. The cork comes off shortly before delivery, in some women in two weeks, in others in two to three hours. A woman may observe yellowish or clear mucus, sometimes with streaks of blood. Before giving birth, the diameter of the cervical canal expands to 10 cm.
From this article, you learned about such an important section of the cervix as the cervical canal: what it is and its main functions in the female body.