Endocervicitis is a serious inflammatory disease in which a pathological process develops on the inside of the cervix. Approximately 70% of women of reproductive age (20–40 years) experience this disease during their lifetime. Endocervicitis treatment should be started as soon as possible, since this disease can lead to many unpleasant complications.
Causes of the disease
The main reason for the development of endocervicitis is bacteria and viruses that enter the uterine cavity through the vagina. They cause the inflammatory process, accompanied by characteristic symptoms.
As for the way bacteria enter the woman’s body, there are several possible ones:
- sexual intercourse - many pathogens enter the vagina precisely during intercourse;
- other inflammatory diseases - in other words, endocervicitis in this case is a complication of another disease;
- non-observance of personal hygiene - improper hygiene can lead to the rapid proliferation of bacteria and viruses that enter the vagina and then into the uterine cavity.
Risk factors
Doctors have identified several factors that can become the impetus for the occurrence of endocervicitis. In this list:
- low immunity - in this case, the body simply can not resist the pathogenic bacteria;
- the presence of an intrauterine device;
- promiscuous sex;
- menopause - during this period, the woman’s body is experiencing strong changes;
- frequent abortions;
- medical manipulations (it can be colposcopy, hysteroscopy or surgery);
- diseases (colpitis, vaginal dysbiosis, inflammation of the appendages, endometriosis, salpingofort, bacterial vaginosis and some others).
If one or more factors are present, they should be eliminated as soon as possible.
As for the symptoms of endocervicitis, they completely depend on the type of disease, which may be:
Symptoms of acute endocervicitis
The acute course is characterized by pronounced symptoms:
- discomfort and pulling pains in the lower abdomen;
- the presence of severe itching in the genital area;
- copious discharge (often of a mucous nature with an admixture of pus).
Such manifestations make a woman more likely to see a doctor. The correct course of treatment for endocervicitis allows you to get rid of all the symptoms in just 7-10 days.
Chronic form
In the chronic form of the disease, the symptoms are somewhat vague and do not really bother the woman. When this occurs:
- intermittent pain of a dull nature;
- lack of secretions or their rather small quantity.
Chronic endocervicitis, despite the almost complete absence of symptoms, is considered a more serious disease than acute. This is explained by the fact that the body is undergoing an inflammatory process, and women rarely go to the clinic due to the lack of complaints. In this case, numerous complications are possible.
Diagnostics
To make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the treatment of endocervicitis, the doctor collects a medical history, listens to the patient’s complaints and collects data on possible risks. Obligatory conduct a gynecological examination on the armchair. During it, the doctor receives data on the condition of the walls of the vagina and cervix. In addition, a number of analyzes and procedures for hardware diagnostics are prescribed:
- taking a smear from the cervix for subsequent laboratory research;
- urine tests and a general blood count;
- blood test for sexually transmitted diseases;
- colposcopy;
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs;
- cytological examination of the epithelium.
Based on the results of the tests, the doctor will be able to diagnose and prescribe an effective course of treatment.
The basic principles of the treatment of cervical endocervicitis
After identifying the cause of the disease and the causative agent of the infection, the doctor will prescribe an effective course of therapy, and in each case it will be individual.
During the treatment of endocervicitis, the uterus solves several problems at once:
- stop symptoms (relieve itching and pain, reduce the number of secretions);
- eliminate the cause - if this is not done, then after a while the symptoms will return;
- restore the immunity of the patient.
At the same time, the course of the disease (chronic or acute) is taken into account. It will take much more time and energy to treat chronic endocervicitis.
Drug therapy
The selection of drugs is based on diagnosis and may include local drugs (gels, suppositories, creams) and general ones (tablets, capsules, etc.):
- Antibiotic therapy. Medications of this group are prescribed if the pathogen is non-specific microflora (staphylococcus, streptococcus, trichomonas and some other bacteria). In this case, a quick result is achieved with the use of the drugs Amoxiclav, Vilprafen, Naxojin, Sumamed, Trichopol. Among the effective drugs for the local treatment of endocervicitis are suppositories and vaginal tablets “Betadin”, “Terzhinan”, “Ginalgin”.
- Antiviral drugs. This group of drugs acts exclusively on the causative agent of a viral nature, and otherwise will be ineffective.
- Fungal infection. If the fungus became the cause of the pathology, doctors often prescribe “Diflucan”, “Mikosist”, “Flucostat”.
- Immunocorrective agents. After removing the symptoms and eliminating the cause of the disease, the patient is prescribed drugs to correct immunity. This will restore the body's natural defenses and reduce the risk of re-development of the disease.
- Restore normal microflora. After the treatment of endocervicitis is completed, it is necessary to restore the normal microflora of the vagina. Otherwise, symptoms may recur. For this, such medicines as “Vaginorm”, “Linex”, “Acylact” are useful. The only thing doctors are warning about is: do not use antimicrobial and restorative therapy together. It is best to wait until the treatment course is completed.
Other treatments
Most often, getting rid of endocervicitis is easy enough - drug therapy copes with this task in 1-2 weeks. However, the chronic form requires a lot of effort. Particular attention is also required in those cases when endocervicitis gives complications. There are a number of ways to effectively treat cervical endocervicitis:
- laser therapy;
- cryodestruction - the use of liquid nitrogen to eliminate abnormal cells (for example, with cervical erosion);
- ultrasound therapy.
Such medical procedures do not require special preparation and are carried out within 10-20 minutes. At the same time, a good effect is achieved, and the recovery period lasts only a few days.
Disease complication
When a symptom of endocervicitis appears, treatment should not be postponed. This disease in itself is not as serious as the consequences that a lack of treatment can cause. So, the inflammatory processes started up by gravity, lead to the spread of infection not only to the reproductive female system, but also to other internal organs. Among the other consequences of endocervicitis are:
- salpingoophoritis, oophoritis, salpingitis and other inflammatory diseases of the appendages;
- catarrh, colitis, peritonitis - inflammation of the tissues in the abdominal cavity;
- pyometra, metritis, endometritis and parametritis - diseases caused by inflammation of the endometrium;
- cervicitis is an inflammation of the cervical canal.
All of the above diseases are successfully treatable, but there are more serious consequences:
- the development of an ectopic pregnancy;
- infertility;
- oncological diseases (cervical cancer).
As you know, any disease is much easier to prevent than to treat later. Each woman can significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease by following simple rules. The list of basic requirements: protected sexual contacts, careful observance of personal hygiene and timely treatment of all diseases. To exclude the hidden symptoms of endocervicitis, for treatment and testing it is worth 1-2 times a year to visit the gynecologist's office.