Hearing the diagnosis of cervical dysplasia, many women begin to panic. After all, a synonym for this disease is a precancerous condition of the maternity organ. Doctors reassure: do not immediately bury yourself. After all, the first stage of the development of a tumor of the stomach is ordinary gastritis. But not all people with this disease receive malignancy in addition. Whether dysplasia will turn into cancer or not depends largely on the treatment prescribed by experienced doctors, and on the behavior of the patient, who is required to adhere to all prescriptions. Therefore, just now we will try to analyze the risks and consequences of cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree, treatment, patient reviews about therapy, as well as doctors' advice about surgical intervention and traditional medicine.
General information
Each woman is interested in the question of how dysplasia of the cervix of the 3rd degree differs from other diseases of the genitourinary system. Treatment, reviews, what it is - we will consider all these points in the article. However, before proceeding with the disclosure of the main topic, let's look at some terms. So, dysplasia is a pathological process that develops in the epithelium of the maternity organ. With proper treatment, this mechanism is reversible, in the absence of therapy - it is dangerous for health and even life, because the formation can quickly transform into a malignant tumor. The transition of dysplasia to cancer does not occur in an instant: it takes years, sometimes decades. But this does not mean that you can wait a bit with an appointment with a doctor. No and no again. Each case is special, individual: if one woman takes almost her whole life to do this, then everything can happen for you in a matter of months. Even if you do not fall into this category of the “rapid course of the disease”, you are still unlikely to want to deal with a terrible disease in old age.
If the girl was diagnosed with cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree, treatment in oncology is prescribed immediately. Since this stage is dangerous, experienced doctors are involved in the therapy, for whom the fight against tumors and metastases is an everyday task. Prescribe drugs or recommend surgery, they decide. It all depends on the patient’s history, her physical condition, genetic predispositions, existing risks, as well as on the characteristics of the development and course of the disease.
Types of dysplasia and the causes of its development
The cervix consists of a squamous stratified epithelium. With dysplasia, it is disturbed: one abnormal huge shapeless nucleus forms in the altered cells, or several of them appear. The tissue is deformed, the separation of the epithelium into layers disappears. Such cells are called atypical. Depending on the location of the formation, the following types of disease are distinguished:
- Dysplasia of the 1st degree (mild). Changes occur in the lower part of the epithelium, affecting its third part.
- Dysplasia of the 2nd degree (moderate). The formations capture a little more than a third of the tissue, but do not grow to 2/3 of its thickness.
- Cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree. Treatment, reviews of doctors about which converge, usually takes place with the help of surgical interventions, since this form of the disease is severe. It is often called invasive cancer. At this stage, deformation covers all layers of the epithelium. If you miss the time and do not urgently take measures, a malignant formation will destroy the organ membrane and penetrate the internal structures of the reproductive system.
The causes of the disease - a great many. But most often, the disease originates and begins to progress due to the presence in the woman’s body of the papilloma virus, immunodeficiency, inflammatory processes in the cervix, as well as against the background of active smoking, hormonal changes after injuries, due to early and promiscuous sexual life. Before prescribing therapy, doctors determine the type of disease. If this is grade 3 cervical dysplasia, treatment methods can be aggressive - surgery or organ amputation.
Main symptoms
Despite all the danger posed by cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree, treatment in oncology is not always prescribed. Sometimes the disease is under the control of ordinary gynecologists. But this is only in those rare cases when the patient turned on time. Why rare? Yes, because the disease often proceeds hidden, "hiding" behind other problems. Dysplasia, oddly enough, does not have its own clinical picture. Therefore, the symptoms characteristic of it are rather meager and relatively general.
If a woman is completely healthy, then she will not feel absolutely nothing - no malaise or weakness. Education is often detected during a routine examination by a gynecologist (which is why it is so important not to miss these visits). It is much easier to make a diagnosis if a microbial infection joins the ailment. Against this background, inflammatory processes develop, which the girl will definitely feel.
- Colpitis - infection of the sheath of the vagina. The woman has edema, redness of the external genital organs, discomfort, itching and burning in the vagina. An unpleasant odor, bloody or purulent, may appear.
- Cervicitis is an inflammation of the cervix. It is characterized by mucous, foamy or yellowish discharge. In the lower abdomen, a woman periodically feels an unpleasant heaviness.
As for pain, they are not observed. But the disease is often combined with diseases such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts in the vagina or anus. If you find the first signs of these troubles, immediately run to the doctor, because you may have cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree: treatment, reviews of the best drugs on the modern market, the main methods of therapy will become known to you after talking with a specialist.
Diagnostics
If a woman has cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree, how to treat her? In order to answer this question, the doctor needs to be diagnosed. Firstly, it is needed to confirm the diagnosis. Secondly, it helps to determine the nature of the disease, especially its course and the risk of possible complications. The scheme is as follows:
- Examination by a gynecologist. You will go through this procedure at the very beginning. Using vaginal mirrors, the doctor will see changes in the organ mucosa, possible spots, growths or vegetation of the epithelium.
- Colposcopy Having suspected that something was wrong at the examination, the doctor will send you for examination with this optical device. It is inserted into the perineum and shows all modifications of the vagina in tenfold size.
- Analysis for cytology. A gynecologist will take a smear so that laboratory assistants can detect the presence of atypical cells in it with a microscope. Scraping also allows you to find the malicious human papillomavirus.
- PCR diagnostics. It is carried out if the papilloma virus is detected: it clarifies the strain of infection, the concentration of the pathogen.
- Histological analysis of biopsy materials. A very informative method that allows you to analyze the condition of epithelial cells in as much detail as possible.
Treatment of cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree, like other types, is prescribed only after all the manipulations. Only in this case, the therapy will be competent and effective.
If pregnancy occurs ...
Unfortunately, the disease occurs in almost 10% of expectant mothers. Moreover, the statistics do not differ from that recorded among non-pregnant women. Only 1.8% of them have grade 3 dysplasia. Before birth, the disease does not progress, and after the baby is born, it begins to develop further, but not in all cases. Dysplasia (2-3 degrees) of the cervix, the treatment of which is prescribed by an experienced gynecologist, can "resolve." When this is the second form, then healing will occur in 40% of cases, if the third - in 30%. In women who did not fall into this category of lucky women, the disease will either “fall asleep” or continue to attack the body. By the way, other studies suggest that dysplasia progresses in 28% of patients.
Features of the diagnosis of the disease during gestation are due to physiological changes in the body and a high content of hormones in the blood. In this regard, the flow of arterial blood to the uterus increases, therefore, the cervical membrane is painted in bluish color. Under the influence of estrogens due to the thickening of the stroma, the organ softens and its volume increases. All these processes complicate the diagnosis, but do not affect the results of analyzes and laboratory tests. Usually a pregnant woman does not have a biopsy. Instead, the doctor carefully takes the smear and sends it for cytological analysis. If there is an urgent need for a biopsy, the specialist usually does not perform a knife procedure, but an intervention with forceps. Material is taken in the minimum quantity from the most suspicious areas. A cone-shaped biopsy is only attributed to a specific cancer suspicion. As for colposcopy, expectant mothers are sent to this procedure only if a pathology is detected in scrapings taken before pregnancy.
Forecasts
Usually, the disease is cured at an early stage by itself. The probability of the reverse development - regression - depends on the age of the woman, the characteristics of her body, the individual course of the pathological process, and the degree of its severity. That is, the likelihood that the disease will disappear on its own increases if the woman is young. Therefore, wait-and-see tactics are applied to adolescents and girls who are under the age of 20.
As for the severity of the disease, then the reverse development pattern looks like this: a mild illness occurs in 90% of cases, moderately expressed - in 50-70%, severe form of the disease - in 30-40%. There will be no regression if the immune system is weak and cannot cope with the situation. In this case, the disease goes into a dangerous stage. Treatment of cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree should be carried out as early as possible: this form very quickly passes into invasive cancer. The doctor himself will assess the degree of risk and make the right decision.
Treatment
Surgical interventions can usually eliminate a disease such as grade 3 cervical dysplasia. Treatment without surgery has the right to life only with a mild form of the disease. Doctors in this case prescribe immunomodulating therapy, which is mainly aimed at enhancing the body's defenses. It is assumed that with the help of various drugs that affect the immune system, it will be possible to launch the mechanism of "self-destruction" of the disease. This is helped by such medical drugs as Inosine, Modimunal, Pranobeks, Genferon and others. They are used for relapses of the disease, as well as for extensive damage to the cervix.
The nature of the treatment depends on the form of the disease. With dysplasia of 1 and 2 degrees, therapy can be quite effective. Taking pills, a woman is obliged to regularly visit a gynecologist in order to fully control the healing process. The patient once a quarter passes a smear for cytology, undergoes a scheduled examination and goes to other tests if the doctor sees them as necessary. If the form of the disease is severe and a precancerous condition is diagnosed, then the operation eliminates cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree. Treatment, reviews of which are positive, is carried out by an oncologist. A good specialist will try not only to perform surgical intervention, saving the woman from the problem, but also to maintain her reproductive function. Unfortunately, if the disease behaves very aggressively, moreover, it is neglected, and the body does not cope with the fight, then the doctor prescribes the amputation of the genital organ. Regardless of the form of the disease, uterine sanitation is performed before any operation. This is a therapy whose task is to eliminate inflammatory processes as much as possible. As a result of this approach, the degree of dysplasia very often decreases and regression occurs.
Surgical intervention
In what ways does the doctor eliminate such a dangerous disease as cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree? Treatment (surgery) can be carried out using such methods:
- Diathermocoagulation - cauterization of affected areas with electric shock. The method is quite cheap and popular. Its drawback is soreness and scarring, which during subsequent pregnancy will prevent the full opening of the uterus.
- Cryodestruction - freezing dysplasia with liquid nitrogen. Such an operation is popular all over the world: it can be done without problems even in a district clinic. In addition, the duration of the procedure is short - about 10 minutes. The downside is the inability to precisely control the degree of tissue freezing. As a result, the same scars form that during pregnancy and childbirth can break.
- Laser vaporization. With its help, you can easily and painlessly remove such an ailment as cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree. Laser treatment has many advantages: the doctor controls the depth of exposure, scarring is almost impossible, blood loss during surgery is minimal, and healing is quick. That's just such modern equipment is not in every medical institution. And to conduct such a rather expensive surgical intervention should be a highly qualified doctor. All this makes treatment inaccessible to many potential patients from the province.
- Radio wave destruction - exposure to current radio wave frequency. A comfortable and effective method, which provides for a complete restoration of sexual activity, prevents the development of relapse. Cons similar to those characteristic of laser therapy.
It should be remembered that the effectiveness of any operation depends on well-conducted examinations, comprehensive laboratory tests, antiviral and antibacterial therapy.
Folk remedies
With their help, the patient will not be healed if she is diagnosed with cervical dysplasia of the 3rd degree. Treatment with folk remedies only helps to improve the situation, contribute to recovery, provided that qualified medical therapy is also carried out.
The collection helps a lot: four parts of calendula flowers, three each - nettle leaves and rose hips, two - yarrow, meadowsweet flowers, licorice root, one part - sweet clover grass. Mix the herbs, take one tablespoon and pour 200 ml of boiling water, insist for half an hour. Decoction should be douched during the day or moistened with tampons in it and inserted into the vagina for 60 minutes.
Other herbal decoctions and tinctures also have a beneficial effect on the course of a disease such as grade 3 cervical dysplasia. Alternative treatment is primarily aimed at cleansing the body, normalizing its functioning, mobilizing defenses, restoring immunity. Plants such as these help a lot:
- Cat's nail. It reduces inflammation, boosts immunity, and has antimicrobial properties.
- Turmeric. Contains a substance that contributes to the destruction of cells involved in the formation of cancerous tumors.
- Green tea. Helps with diseases of the genital organs, including with damage to the uterus.
- The fruits of acerola. Tea from them is useful for tumors of the reproductive system.
Do not forget that before using any traditional medicine, you need the advice of an experienced specialist. Self-medication is extremely dangerous, especially for young children, elderly pensioners, pregnant women, nursing mothers, people suffering from acute and chronic diseases.
Prevention
A certain recovery period requires surgical intervention, when a patient has grade 3 cervical dysplasia. Treatment after surgery involves antibacterial therapy, the use of antiviral, immunostimulating drugs. As for prevention, it relies on proper nutrition and daily routine. To avoid such problems, a woman needs to give up bad habits, primarily smoking, regularly visit a gynecologist, consume enough vitamins and minerals.
Take care of yourself.