Cervical erosion (ICD-10 N86 - code for the medical classification of diseases) is a widespread disease. Most often, a woman learns about him by accident, during a routine examination or when registering during pregnancy. What procedures does the doctor prescribe and what to do with cervical erosion? Answers to the most common questions can be found in this article.
What is cervical erosion, is it dangerous?
This diagnosis is quite common, and at least 30% of women experience it. But not everyone understands whether this is dangerous. Cervical erosion is a small defect in the mucous membrane in the form of an ulcer. The disease is successfully treated if not started. With inaction, erosion can provoke various diseases, including cancer, and sometimes can interfere with conception.
The disease is divided into pseudo-erosion and true. The first occurs in young girls and women with elevated levels of estrogen in the blood and consists in the exit of prismatic epithelium beyond the cervix. True is a wound in the form of a red spot on the mucous membrane.
Causes of erosion
The most common factors that trigger the disease:
- Sexually transmitted diseases include chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, gonorrhea, genital herpes and others.
- Inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs - thrush, colpitis, vaginitis and others.
- Mechanical mucosal injury - after an abortion, childbirth, due to hard intercourse.
A decrease in immunity, a violation of the menstrual cycle, as well as early sex life and hormonal disorders can provoke the appearance of erosion.
Symptoms of the disease
Basically, a woman learns about the presence of erosion at a routine examination by a gynecologist. This situation occurs because the disease mainly proceeds without pronounced symptoms. Rarely, cervical erosion bleeds, and then the woman herself turns to the gynecologist with complaints of the appearance of blood during intercourse or in the period between menstruation. Less often, patients notice mucopurulent discharge or feel pain during intimacy. This can be due to the appearance of an infection that gets on the wound and worsens the condition of the disease. In the presence of severe symptoms, treatment of cervical erosion and the recovery period may be delayed.
Erosion Diagnosis
Already at the initial examination, the doctor identifies the disease. But one visual diagnosis is not enough, and the gynecologist conducts a number of standard measures:
- Detailed examination in the gynecological chair.
- Tests for examination in the laboratory for infections that may be causing tissue mucosal tissue disorders.
- Oncocytology - a study in which material is taken from the cervix and checked for cancer.
- Colposcopy is an examination of a damaged area with a device that can enlarge the image several times.
- A biopsy is a detailed examination of a damaged tissue site for an accurate diagnosis.
Using additional research methods allows the gynecologist to identify the exact cause of the disease, as well as learn about the features of its development.
With cervical erosion, can I get pregnant?
The disease reduces reproductive function. Many women wonder if this is dangerous. Cervical erosion does not cause infertility, but can affect the course of pregnancy against a background of low immunity. If the general condition of the woman’s body is normal, then pregnancy can contribute to the treatment of diseases of an erosive nature, as well as other pathological transformations. During childbearing, hormonal changes occur that prevent the change of epithelial cells. Also, the disappearance of menstruation has a positive effect on the atrophy of the affected area and can contribute to the restoration of the epithelium. It is advisable to cure the disease before conception in order to avoid undesirable consequences.
Erosion Pregnancy Planning
Before conception, it is advisable to undergo a full examination and treatment, which takes a long time. You should also withstand 1-2 months until the cervical tissue is fully restored. If this period is observed, the risk of relapse, as well as the occurrence of inflammatory processes, is minimal. To treat erosion, the doctor can use the cauterization method, which requires accuracy and sophisticated execution. If this procedure is unsuccessful, scars and scars that sometimes cause injuries and breaks in childbirth sometimes form.
Therefore, it is important to choose an experienced doctor and clinic with a good reputation for this procedure. After cauterization, the onset of pregnancy may occur with complications and requires regular medical examination. Is it dangerous? Cervical erosion weakens the walls of the vagina, they become more susceptible to pain of prenatal contractions, which can cause tears. Therefore, it is advisable to withstand time until the body is completely restored.
Cervical erosion in nulliparous
The disease is most common in women in childbirth. The causes of cervical erosion in nulliparous women differ:
- Complications after an abortion.
- Infectious diseases.
- Viral infections.
- An advanced inflammatory disease.
- Hormonal disruptions.
Treatment methods for nulliparous patients
There are many gentle ways to cauterize erosion. For this, laser therapy and chemofixation are used. Treatment is best carried out in specialized centers under the supervision of experienced specialists. The advantages of these methods are in the absence of pain and a short recovery period. In this case, do not postpone treatment until delivery, as the disease can develop into a cancerous tumor. For young girls, classic methods will not work: burning out or freezing, since there is a possibility of scarring. They, in turn, will adversely affect the process of childbirth and can provoke gaps. Nulliparous women can also use medication. A regular examination by a gynecologist will help to identify the disease in time, since erosion occurs most often without symptoms, which can lead to negative consequences.
Drug treatment
If the gynecologist identifies the inflammatory process and the results of the PAP test show 1-2 degrees of dysplasia, then he can prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs before colposcopy and biopsy. In this case, the cause of the disease can be chlamydia and gonococcus, less often - viruses.
Treatment can be carried out with special candles or tablets, depending on the pathogen. At the end of the course of procedures, the gynecologist prescribes repeated tests. Drug treatment can be prescribed when a large area that captures the vaginal mucosa is detected.
Moxibustion
The procedure is carried out in several ways:
- Electrocoagulation - cauterization of the affected area with electric shock. A few years ago, this method was the main method of treating cervical erosion. At the moment, it is not much in demand, since it often leads to scars, bleeding and deformities.
- Cryodestruction - freezing the affected area with liquid nitrogen. The most popular method due to its low price. This method can be applied to nulliparous women, since it does not leave a scar, which favorably affects the course of childbirth. But after cryodestruction for several days, abundant watery discharge may disturb. Also, the procedure is not suitable for large areas of the lesion - more than 3 cm and in the presence of scar tissue, which is often observed in women giving birth.
- Laser coagulation - this method acts directly on the affected area, which must be removed. It is used under local anesthesia, for this an injection of Lidocaine is made. With this treatment method, bleeding may rarely occur. But laser treatment is not recommended for women who have not given birth.
- Radio wave treatment - the essence of this procedure is that a stream of high frequency waves is directed to the affected area, which leads to the evaporation of the affected areas. The method is not in demand due to the high price. But this method is suitable for nulliparous and giving birth to women, which for them will be the best treatment for cervical erosion.
Before using one of the described services, you need to undergo a histological examination of the affected tissues. It can be a biopsy, PAP test and colposcopy. Such a thorough examination is necessary to exclude the presence of oncology, which is treated with other methods. During cauterization, a woman may experience pain in the uterus, since exposure to her neck causes spasms similar to menstrual syndrome. After the procedure, you need to refrain for some time from intimacy and carefully monitor intimate hygiene. You can not take a bath, bathe and apply douching with erosion of the cervix until the wound has completely healed.
Folk remedies
The use of this method of treatment is possible if cervical erosion is mild. The most popular folk remedies:
- Sea buckthorn oil - contains beneficial substances and vitamins that accelerate the healing process. For treatment, they take a cotton swab and soak it well with oil, then inject it into the vagina. Leave it for several hours, and preferably all night. For the procedure, it is better to use a special swab with a rope for easy removal after completion of the procedure.
- Honey - wrapped in gauze and injected into the vagina for 3-4 hours. The procedure is carried out once a day. It can be shared with onions, for this they make a recess in it and add honey. Next, the product is baked in the oven, cooled and inserted into the vagina in gauze. For treatment, 10 procedures are necessary.
- Propolis has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. In the treatment of erosion, an ointment is used that can be prepared independently. To do this, melt 100 grams of Vaseline, adding 10 grams of propolis. The agent is impregnated with a tampon and placed in the vagina for 10-12 hours, preferably at night. The procedure is carried out once a day for 10 days.
So, erosion is a common disease that manifests itself in the form of an ulcer on the cervix. Most often, a woman has no complaints and symptoms. Treatment of cervical erosion is carried out by the medication method, cauterization, as well as folk remedies. The disease can lead to serious consequences and provoke the appearance of cancer, so you should regularly visit a gynecologist in order to detect erosion in time.