Nature has entrusted the female sex with the main task - bearing and giving birth to he althy children. However, various diseases of the gynecological sphere worsen the state of reproductive function. In a neglected form, infertility, benign and malignant tumors develop, including polyps in the uterus, the causes of which are diverse.
To date, no single theory has been developed as to how polyps arise. Until now, gynecologists have not come to an agreement, despite the development of diagnostic technologies and medicine itself.
So, the subject of this article will be polyps in the uterus, causes and symptoms, treatment of the disease. And first, let's find out what they are, since the disappointing diagnosis of "polycystic" is increasingly being put on patients by gynecologists.
Polyps are benign formations that affect the mucous lining of the uterine cavity - the endometrium and have a branched structure. Their size can vary from a few centimeters to the size of an average apple.
Reasonsdisease occurrence
- Insufficient exfoliation of the endometrium. Normally, the mucous before the onset of the menstrual period is separated and then washed out naturally. The formation of neoplasms begins when the lining is not completely removed. When the polyps grow to a certain size, they are fixed on the growing mucosa with a thin stalk. Polyps in the uterus, the causes of the formation (formation) of which lie in insufficient exfoliation of the endometrium, are treated on average from three to six months.
- Spontaneous education. In this case, the cause is hormonal imbalance and disruption. An increase in estrogen levels occurs after the use of oral contraceptives, hormone therapy, pregnancy. Uneven production of sex hormones leads to a serious imbalance. Against the background of a sharp increase in estrogen levels, the progestogen drops to a critical level. This provokes negative shifts towards changes in the mucous membrane of the reproductive organ. Polyps in the uterus, the causes of which are due to hormonal disorders, are treated with a course of special therapy.
- Inflammation specific and non-specific in acute or chronic form. One of the reasons for the development of serious disease processes can be an abortion. As a rule, the doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics after the operation, but with unsuccessful therapy, inflammation still develops, and the formation of polyps is almost inevitable. Also here can be attributed colpitis, adnexitis, churchocytes, vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis.
- Infectious lesions transmitted through sexual intercourse.
- Endocrinological pathologies. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, obesity become a risk factor.
- Failed pregnancy, history of placental remnants after childbirth.
- Injuries. Very often it is a rupture of the uterine body or cervix, perineum.
- Unprofessional gynecological manipulations.
- Intrauterine devices. Wearing them for a long time can be dangerous.
- Hereditary and genetic predisposition.
- Anomalies, pathologies of development and location of the organs of the female reproductive system.
- Pathological proliferation of medium and small vessels inside the uterus. Epithelial cells begin to form around the tissues.
- Endometriosis, fibromyoma, dysplasia, cervical erosion.
- Physical inactivity, provoking the occurrence of stagnation in the pelvic organs and hypoxic phenomena localized in the appendages.
- Age group of forty to fifty years old. Polyps in the uterus, the causes of the formation and development of which lie in age-related changes, are most often removed with the help of surgery.
Diagnosis Features
Uterine polyps are often detected during a routine gynecological examination. The doctor, manipulating a special mirror, sees them on the mucous membrane. For a more accurate diagnosis, colposcopy, additional X-ray examination, hysteroscopy, which allows you to thoroughlyexamine the uterine cavity. An ultrasound examination also helps to determine a reliable picture of the disease.
Classification of polyps
Pathology is classified according to the number of polyps and their histological structure. Formations can be multiple or single. By structure, polyps are divided into:
- Glandular uterine polyps. Formations develop due to disorders in the endometrium.
- Adenomatous polyp. The most common type of pathology. The size of the formation can reach several centimeters, it has a tendency to degenerate into a malignant tumor. Adenomatous polyps in the uterus, the causes of which can be any, according to gynecologists, are considered the most dangerous.
- Fibrous polyp. Very dense in its consistency, because it is formed by fibrous tissue. Excellent visualization on ultrasound.
- Mixed, or glandular-fibrous.
Symptomatics
Every woman should have a regular gynecological examination (at least once a year). This is especially true if there is at least one risk factor for the development of the disease. You should carefully listen to the state of your body, as polyposis manifests itself as follows:
- Inability to conceive.
- Violations, cycle failures, in particular, towards polymenorrhea. Abnormally heavy bleeding occurs during this period.
- Irregular ovulation.
- Excessive uterine bleeding or discharge (spotting withbloody stains).
- Dyspareunia - pain during intercourse.
- Discomfort in the abdomen, pulling, grasping pains.
- In rare cases, general intoxication symptoms.
Prevention
As you know, to prevent any disease, prevention should be carried out. So, a woman should be examined by a gynecologist from time to time, adhere to a diet, and also exclude irritating factors (overheating, hypothermia, etc.).
Good prevention is the absence of promiscuity, regular sex life, taking contraceptive (hormonal) drugs only when necessary and as prescribed by a doctor, an active lifestyle. Only then is it likely that a woman will never develop polyps in the uterus. The causes and different methods of treating them have been studied in detail, but there is always a risk of developing negative consequences.
Modern treatment methods
The earlier a disease is diagnosed, the easier it is to get rid of it, and the less harm it will cause to the body. A small formation can be cured by undergoing a course of anti-inflammatory or hormonal therapy. If the situation has gone too far, then the polyps are surgically removed.
Modern techniques are less traumatic and effective. Removal of a polyp can be done using hysteroscopy. A special tube is inserted into the uterus, at the end of which there is a microvideo camera. Tweezers are fed through a special channel, by means ofwhich the formation is excised, in some cases, instead of tweezers, a loop is used that captures the polyp around the stem. This leads to separation of the formation from the uterus. After removal, the place where the tumor was located is cauterized with liquid nitrogen.
When a large cluster of tumors is diagnosed or their size is too large, an additional curettage procedure is performed. This guarantees the complete destruction of such a formation as a uterine polyp. The causes and consequences of surgical intervention have been studied in detail in modern medicine. The risk of relapse remains minimal.
Treatment without surgery
When the patient refuses surgery, and when the polyps in the uterus are the result of a hormonal imbalance, the doctor can use conservative treatment using various groups of medications:
- COC - combined oral contraceptives. With their help, therapy of focal endometriotic hyperplasia is carried out. The technique is used mainly in women of the reproductive group, whose age does not exceed 35 years, or in adolescence. High efficiency is achieved in the diagnosis of glandular polyps. In some cases, the use of contraceptives avoids curettage in girls with polyps suffering from uterine bleeding. Several tablets are prescribed per day, after which the dosage is gradually reduced.
- Gestagens. Preparations with progesterone are taken mainly in the second phase of the cycle. Treatment can last up to six months. Normalizedactivity of the endocrine system and the hemostatic effect is realized.
- Agonists of releasing hormone. Treatment is prescribed for women who have reached the age of 35, with the elimination of total endometrial hyperplasia. The course of therapy is quite long - up to six months.
- Antibacterial therapy for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory lesions.
- Multivitamin complexes.
Polyps in the uterus, the symptoms and causes of which have been established and are under qualified control, are successfully treated. Regardless of the etiology of the disease, a favorable prognosis is 85%.
Relapses
When diagnosing repeated formations, there is a risk of degeneration of a benign polyp into a malignant one. The percentage of probability of such a development of events is low, however, gynecologists recommend taking treatment and hormone therapy seriously. Adenomatous polyps are the main risk factor. After the therapy, the woman is registered with the gynecologist until the cycle is completely normal.
Consequences
In the postmenopausal period, polyposis often provokes the formation of a malignant tumor. For women of reproductive age, the consequences of this disease can also be no less sad. So, polyposis can provoke the occurrence of a long hormonal failure and infertility.
Conclusion
Over the past decades, women of reproductive age and menopause who are at risk of developingpolyposis. The causes of the development of the disease are different, with a large number of variations, which leads to an increase in patients who are diagnosed with polyps in the uterus. What causes them? What are the typical symptoms? All information has been provided above. In any case, it is necessary to understand that the danger lies in the degeneration of a polyp into a malignant formation, therefore it is so important to diagnose the disease in time and start treating it at an early stage.
