Endocervicitis is a serious inflammatory disease in which the pathological process develops on the inside of the cervix. Approximately 70% of women of reproductive age (20-40 years) experience such a disease during their lifetime. Treatment of endocervicitis should be started as soon as possible, as this disease can lead to many unpleasant complications.
Causes of disease development
The main cause of endocervicitis is bacteria and viruses that enter the uterine cavity through the vagina. It is they who cause the inflammatory process, accompanied by characteristic symptoms.
As for the way bacteria enter a woman's body, there are several possible ones:
- sexual intercourse - many pathogens enter the vagina during intercourse;
- other inflammatory diseases - in other words, endocervicitis in this case is a complication of another disease;
- poor personal hygiene - improper hygiene can lead to rapidreproduction of bacteria and viruses that enter the vagina and then into the uterine cavity.
Risk factors
Doctors have identified several factors that can trigger the onset of endocervicitis. In this list:
- low immunity - in this case, the body simply cannot resist pathogenic bacteria;
- presence of an intrauterine device;
- promiscuity;
- menopause - during this period, the woman's body is undergoing strong changes;
- frequent abortions;
- medical manipulations (it can be colposcopy, hysteroscopy or surgery);
- diseases (colpitis, vaginal dysbacteriosis, inflammation of the appendages, endometriosis, salpingoophort, bacterial vaginosis and some others).
If one or more factors are present, they should be addressed as soon as possible.
As for the symptoms of endocervicitis, they completely depend on the type of disease that can be:
- spicy;
- chronic.
Symptoms of acute endocervicitis
Acute course is characterized by pronounced symptoms:
- discomfort and pulling pains in the lower abdomen;
- presence of severe itching in the genital area;
- abundant discharge (often mucus mixed with pus).
Such manifestations make a woman see a doctor as soon as possible. The correct course of treatment for endocervicitis allows you to get rid of all the symptoms literallyin 7-10 days.
Chronic form
In the chronic form of the disease, the symptoms are somewhat vague and do not really bother the woman. This results in:
- intermittent dull pains;
- no or very little discharge.
Chronic endocervicitis, despite the almost complete absence of symptoms, is considered a more serious disease than acute. This is explained by the fact that there is an inflammatory process in the body, and women rarely go to the clinic due to the lack of complaints. In this case, numerous complications are possible.
Diagnosis
To make a correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment for endocervicitis, the doctor collects an anamnesis of the disease, listens to the patient's complaints and collects data on possible risks. It is mandatory to carry out a gynecological examination on a chair. During it, the doctor receives data on the condition of the walls of the vagina and cervix. In addition, a number of tests and procedures for hardware diagnostics are prescribed:
- taking a cervical smear for subsequent laboratory testing;
- urinalysis and complete 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 make a diagnosis and prescribe an effective course of treatment.
Basic principles of treatment of cervical endocervicitis
After identifying the causedisease and the causative agent of the infection, the doctor will prescribe an effective course of therapy, while in each case it will be individual.
During the treatment of uterine endocervicitis, several tasks are solved at once:
- stop the symptoms (relieve itching and pain, reduce the amount of discharge);
- eliminate the cause - if this is not done, then after a while the symptoms will return;
- restore the patient's immunity.
This takes into account the characteristics of the course of the disease (chronic or acute). It will take much more time and effort to treat chronic endocervicitis.
Drug therapy
The selection of medicines is based on the diagnosis and may include local preparations (gels, suppositories, creams) and general preparations (tablets, capsules, etc.):
- Antibacterial therapy. Medicines of this group are prescribed if the pathogen has become a nonspecific microflora (staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, Trichomonas and some other bacteria). In this case, a quick result is achieved when using the drugs Amoxiclav, Vilprafen, Naxodzhin, Sumamed, Trichopol. Among the effective remedies for the local treatment of endocervicitis are suppositories and vaginal tablets "Betadine", "Terzhinan", "Ginalgin".
- Antiviral drugs. This group of drugs acts exclusively on the causative agent of a viral nature, and otherwise it will be ineffective.
- Fungal infection. If a fungus has become the cause of the pathology, doctors often prescribeDiflucan, 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.
- Restoration of normal microflora. After the treatment of endocervicitis is completed, it is necessary to restore the normal microflora of the vagina. Otherwise, the symptoms may recur. For this, medicines such as Vaginorm, Linex, Acilact are useful. The only thing doctors warn about is not to use antimicrobial and restorative therapy together. It is best to wait until the end of the treatment course.
Other treatments
Most often, getting rid of endocervicitis is quite easy - drug therapy copes with this task in 1-2 weeks. However, the chronic form requires more effort. Special attention is also required in those cases when endocervicitis gives complications. There are a number of ways to effectively treat cervical endocervicitis:
- laser therapy;
- cryolysis - the use of liquid nitrogen to eliminate pathological cells (for example, cervical erosion);
- ultrasound therapy.
Such medical procedures do not require special preparation and are carried out within 10-20 minutes. This achieves a good effect, andthe recovery period lasts only a few days.
Complication of the disease
When a symptom of endocervicitis appears, treatment should not be postponed. In itself, this disease is not as serious as the consequences that the lack of treatment can cause. So, inflammatory processes, left to chance, lead to the spread of infection not only to the female reproductive system, but also to other internal organs. Other consequences of endocervicitis include:
- salpingoophoritis, oophoritis, salpingitis and other inflammatory diseases of the appendages;
- catarrh, colitis, peritonitis - inflammation of tissues in the abdominal cavity;
- pyometra, metritis, endometritis and parametritis - diseases caused by inflammation of the endometrium;
- cervicitis - inflammation of the cervical canal.
All of the above diseases can be successfully treated, but there are more serious consequences:
- development of ectopic pregnancy;
- infertility;
- oncological diseases (cervical cancer).
As you know, any disease is much easier to prevent than to treat later. Every woman can significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease by following simple rules. In the list of basic requirements: protected sex, careful personal hygiene and timely treatment of all diseases. To exclude hidden symptoms of endocervicitis, it is worth visiting the gynecologist's office 1-2 times a year for treatment and checkup.
