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 cervical mucosa, on which a rounded formation up to two centimeters in diameter is formed. There are several types of erosion, and each of them has its own characteristics. So, they distinguish between congenital, pseudo-erosion and true. We will talk more about cervical erosion, types, causes, symptoms later.
General information
First of all, it should be noted that cervical erosion is one of the most common diseases that concern women. Erosion should not be greatly feared, since, 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.
Innateerosion
With congenital erosion, the cervical columnar epithelium is displaced, and as a result, a chronic disease of this type occurs. The main feature is that such erosion has practically no symptoms and manifests itself more often 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, unlike its other types, chooses the pharynx as the place of its localization, or rather, its outer or back side. Much less often, such erosion can be found on the lip of the cervix. As for its appearance, it is not a very large area, having a rounded shape and a bright red hue, sometimes it can even bleed. if erosion appears, then this is a clear sign that the mucosa has been damaged. In the case of true erosion, purulent accumulations may form on it. This type of erosion exists for only fourteen days, after which this place is covered with epithelium. And then comes the next stage, which is called pseudo-erosion.
Pseudo-erosion
Pseudo-erosion - a type of cervical erosion, in which a bright red area appears. It is impossible to accurately describe its shape, since each woman has her own, as well as sizes. Pseudo-erosion can have a diameter of several millimeters, and can reach two or three centimeters. Sometimeson the surface of the wound, slight mucous secretions are formed, which may contain pus. It is impossible to establish the duration of the disease, since much here depends on what caused the wound to form, and what methods of struggle were taken. Its main danger is that a relapse can occur, and a safe wound will develop into a cancerous tumor. This fact the doctor must take into account when prescribing treatment.
Causes of erosion
There are a number of reasons why a disease can occur, and each of them is special in its own way. Let's see what are the causes of cervical erosion (the treatment of this disease directly depends on the provoking factors):
- The main reason is mechanical injuries. They can occur during intercourse if the man is too rough 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 sore on the cervix. Among such diseases are genital herpes and papillomavirus.
- If a woman knows that an infection lives in her genital tract and does not react to it in any way, then most likely she will soon have erosion.
- If the sexual life was started too early or too late, then this is also a serious reason for the cervix to be damaged. Everything must happen in due time.
- And also erosion occurs in girls who change sexual partners too often or, on the contrary, are content with too rare sexual intercourse.
- Even a simple menstrual irregularity can damage the cervix.
- A sharp decrease in immunity is another reason for erosion to appear.
- It is especially dangerous if a woman has 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 at retirement age, but if this happens, then the pressure of the uterine ring may be the cause. There is another type worth mentioning - physiological erosion. It occurs in girls who have not yet reached the age of 25, and tends to heal on its own.
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 one hundred percent of cases, erosion does not manifest itself. There is no specific 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 are still established that clearly indicate that the cervix is \u200b\u200bdamaged:
- Women experience spotting that can't be related to the menstrual cycle. Especially often, such discharge appears after sexual intercourse.
- Many women diagnosed with erosion have experienced pain during sex.
- Perhaps even the appearance of purulent discharge. This is already clear evidence that an inflammatory infection has also joined the erosion, which significantly aggravates the situation. Some patients may confuse such discharge with thrush or the onset of menstruation.
So, most practicing gynecologists refer to the signs of cervical erosion as discharge and pain, especially those that occur during or after intercourse.
Diagnosis
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 the woman for the flora. This procedure is standard when visiting a gynecologist.
- Followed by extended colposcopy.
- Also, the doctor may prescribe various cytological studies.
- PCR is being diagnosed, which is necessary in order to exclude the presence of any venereal disease.
- A woman takes a blood test to determine whether she has HIV, syphilis or hepatitis.
- Bacteriological culture is mandatory.
- If the doctor has doubts about the benignness of the tumor, he may also order a biopsy. Suchanalysis is not assigned to all patients, but only in case of emergency 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 only be accurately determined after all the necessary tests have been carried out.
Treatment
We have already found out the causes, symptoms of cervical erosion, but treatment requires a separate paragraph in the article, since it is not common to all types of the disease. Therapy is prescribed depending on what type of erosion the woman has, what is its size, whether there are concomitant infectious diseases.
So, for congenital erosion, it is enough just to constantly monitor, since in most cases it heals on its own. As for treatment, surgical intervention is not excluded, but doctors try to get by with more conservative methods. It all depends solely on the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Perhaps, for some, the phrase - conservative treatment is incomprehensible. This means that, first of all, the doctor does not fight with the erosion itself, but with the reason for which it appeared. Therefore, in this case, the main task is to determine what kind of disease accompanied the appearance of wounds. After an accurate diagnosis, the gynecologist prescribes therapy. Most often, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. As auxiliary substances, immunomodulators and anti-inflammatory drugs are used.
Local treatment of the cervix may also be carried out during the examination. For thisuse special preparations 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 childbirth there will be no mucosal ruptures and erosion will not occur again. This is perhaps the main advantage of the method. But he also has one drawback - no patient can be insured against relapse.
If this method did 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 do 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 sparing, because liquid nitrogen is used here, which, as it were, freezes the wound and does not affect he althy tissues. In addition to the effectiveness and safety of this method, there is also the fact 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 will take approximately four weeks for the cervix to heal completely. A side effect is irregular watery discharge. Doctors during the healing periodrecommend to refrain from strong physical exertion and sexual intercourse.
Laser treatment
Laser cautery is one of the relatively new treatments for cervical erosion. It is good because it is carried out without contact. The laser is simply aimed at the wound and within a certain time it heals. There is no effect on he althy tissues, which is another definite plus. Especially often, laser treatment is prescribed for women who have not given birth. Because it leaves no trace behind.
Radio wave treatment
Radio waves are a type of cauterization of cervical erosion that has been around for a long time. It is practically painless, which was achieved due to the fact that radio waves seem to “solder” the nerve endings that are in and around the wound. During this procedure, all he althy 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.
Traditional medicine
We examined the types of 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 such methods of treatment, since they rarely bring a really positive result. Folk recipescan be used to stop the growth of the wound or to prevent inflammation from appearing.
The most common recipe among the people is tampons dipped in sea buckthorn oil. And also grandmother's recipes recommend douching using a solution of calendula. Of course, these substances have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, however, if you use only these recipes, it is unlikely that you can be completely cured. In general, folk recipes can be used only after prior consultation with a specialist. Because you can not only not help, but also hurt yourself even more.
Prevention
There is a whole set of rules for the prevention of all types of cervical erosion, which should be familiar not only to every woman, but also to her partner:
- 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 comes into 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, this can lead to the fact that the microflora of her vagina will change, and this will lead to the development of various infections, which can then cause erosion.
- It is necessary to regularly, or rather once every six months, visit a gynecologist in order to detect the disease in time and take up its treatment.
- If youif you notice at least some changes, then immediately consult a doctor, 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, you will be able to avoid any kind of cervical erosion. But do not forget that no woman is immune from this problem, so you cannot be 100% sure of your safety. Your main duty is to visit a specialist who can warn you about the problem in time and get rid of it. And remember, there is nothing to worry about. After all, a large number of women are afraid of such diseases, and do not go to the doctor, which they later regret very much.
