Cervical erosion (ectopia, ectropion) is a rather insidious disease that is detected in women by chance during a routine visit to a gynecologist or during examination during pregnancy. The danger lies in the fact that cervical erosion has the ability to proceed asymptomatically, without obvious malaise. Erosion can not bother a woman for a long time, not bring any inconvenience. However, sometimes some people encounter some of the symptoms, and in order to pay attention to them in time, you need to know some aspects of the disease. And also do not forget about the timely visit to the gynecologist to monitor your health.
Many women experience cervical erosion during pregnancy. Most often, a pregnant woman learns about the presence of erosion during examination or ultrasound.
Classification
Cervical erosion has several varieties: congenital, not treatable and acquired. In the first case, a woman needs to control the course of the disease every six months in order to prevent the development of cancer cells in a timely manner. In the second case, erosion is not a pathology and is successfully cured. The main thing is to find it in time and consult a doctor for recommendations.
Causes
During pregnancy, a woman undergoes hormonal changes in her entire body. This creates favorable conditions for the occurrence of the disease. In case of pregnancy, an excessive blood flow occurs in the cervix, and this fact during the examination may indicate inflammation. Infection must be eliminated, since an existing infection can adversely affect the membranes, causing the development of fetal abnormalities and contribute to miscarriage, fetal death.
Chronic inflammation, such as salpingo-oophoritis, adnexitis, endometritis create favorable conditions for the formation of cervical erosion.
In addition, ectopia could occur long before pregnancy, for example, when a woman took oral contraceptives for protection.
Childbirth, uterine injuries (abortions, miscarriages), the early onset of intimate life, the frequent change of sexual partners, unprotected or gross sexual intercourse can also be an impetus for the appearance of ectopia.
But most often the cause is sexually transmitted infections. For example, herpetic, chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, papillomavirus. Therefore, during pregnancy planning, it is necessary to visit a gynecologist for examination, detection of pathologies and their timely treatment.
It was previously believed that erosion occurs in women about forty years old. But now there is a tendency for the disease to appear at any age. Now, even in nulliparous cervical erosion can be diagnosed. The reason is the more common problems in the endocrine system, in other words, in the imbalance of hormones. As a result of excessive cell division and growth of the mucous membranes, erosion of the cervix is obtained.
Symptoms
Symptoms of cervical erosion during pregnancy are mostly absent. Usually, erosion does not bring discomfort, not manifesting itself in any way, but it happens that after all, a woman is worried:
- Bleeding, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. It is worth immediately contacting a gynecologist, the doctor will carefully and accurately determine the degree of threat to your health and the health of your child.
- Intense discharge.
- Feeling of pain during intercourse.
- Disgusting odor from the vagina.
Treatment
To prevent erosion, it is necessary to undergo an annual gynecological examination, without delaying it until any unpleasant symptoms or discomfort appear. In the treatment with medicines, hormonal preparations are used, the main component of which is the combination of hyaluronic acid and zinc.
There are the following ways to influence cervical erosion:
- Laser. A modern, effective and less traumatic method. Using a laser, cells of the cylindrical epithelium are burned from the surface of the cervix.
- Radio wave therapy. Due to the high cost of equipment and the need for qualified specialists, it has not been actively used in recent years,
- Current. Despite the "age", this technique, as before, remains (over 90%) effective. Using special electrodes, the doctor removes the surface of the pathological spot on the cervix. Scars remain, therefore, cervical erosion in nulliparous women due to the risk of infertility is not treated with this method.
- A liquid nitrogen. The impact on the cervix at low temperatures is carried out with nitrous oxide. Less traumatic and leaves no scars.
- Chemicals (Vulnostimulin, Vagotil, Solkovagin).
- Suppositories.
With cervical erosion during pregnancy, it is very important to diagnose it in a timely manner. In the absence of infections, the disease can be treated after the birth of the baby, but it is necessary to conduct a number of regular laboratory tests, carry out constant medical supervision, cytology and colposcopy. With a significant form and pathological changes, the treatment of cervical erosion during pregnancy is recommended to be carried out the least radical and sparing.
The most gentle and painless method of treating cervical erosion is the point impact technology - laser vaporization (cauterization). This method of treatment stimulates the regeneration process, triggering cell restoration, thereby reducing inflammation and removing altered erosive tissues. Laser treatment does not interfere with the normal course of labor, providing quick healing. During pregnancy, cauterization of cervical erosion is usually not carried out. Doctors recommend waiting until the birth, constantly observing and monitoring the course of the disease and the well-being of the pregnant woman. Most often, less radical tactics are used in the form of ointments of a wound healing nature, anti-inflammatory medications, hemostatic and antifungal therapy. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to self-medicate in any case, using any medication or alternative methods without the consent of a doctor can be dangerous.
Alternative methods
As one of the alternative methods for restoring the cervical epithelium, leech treatment and acupuncture can be used. But they were not widely used due to unproven effectiveness.
ethnoscience
Treatment with folk remedies for cervical erosion is applicable, but it will not bring much effect. It consists of the following therapies, such as douching with a solution of copper sulfate, the use of tampons with sea buckthorn oil, Levomekol ointment, water and alcohol solutions of propolis, herbal medicine in the form of douching with infusion of calendula, boron uterus, calamus root, chamomile. It is worth noting that none of the listed methods of treating cervical erosion with folk remedies provides any guarantee. And even more so with serious pathologies, you should not waste time at all and hope for “maybe”.
Effects
According to statistics, about six hundred thousand women a year are diagnosed with cervical cancer, the cause of which is not completely cured cervical erosion. Changes in the neck imperceptibly acquire a precancerous nature and after a while become a malignant pathology. Therefore, it is better to prevent the occurrence of any dangerous diseases, for this once every six months you need to visit a gynecologist for a routine examination.
What is the danger of cervical erosion during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, ectopia can lead to infectious inflammation due to reduced immunity and hormonal changes in the body. And when erosion during pregnancy itself is not dangerous and does not have any effect on the fetus, the infection that arose against the background of the disease can become critical. Due to the negative impact, various pathologies can develop, the formation of internal organs, infection of the body, loss of pregnancy and fetal death can be disrupted. Accordingly, the consequences of pregnancy with cervical erosion can be disastrous for both the mother and the child.
Diagnostics
During a routine gynecological examination, it is impossible even for professionals to identify the nature and degree of damage to the uterine mucosa in the eye. Therefore, to make the correct diagnosis, a number of comprehensive studies are carried out:
- Cytology.
- Baksev.
- Colposcopy
- Biopsy of the material.
- Examination of blood for hormones.
- Examination of blood for sexually transmitted diseases (genital herpes, chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, papillomavirus, syphilis, HIV).
After the examination, the gynecologist will establish a final diagnosis, find out not only the cause of cervical erosion, but also prescribe an effective treatment.
Prevention
In order to prevent cervical erosion, you should increase immunity, monitor the health of your sexual partner, observe intimate hygiene, do not forget to visit a gynecologist for a periodic examination and examination, in some cases, vaccination.
Finally
It has long been known that it is desirable to cure all existing diseases during planning, before pregnancy. From the moment of conception, the hormonal picture of the woman’s body changes dramatically, immunity decreases and the risk of various diseases is increased. The placenta is a temporary endocrine organ in the mother's body. The vaginal mucosa of the uterus does not remain unchanged. During the entire period of pregnancy, changes occur, which should be observed by gynecologists. Cervical erosion during pregnancy sometimes causes minor recurrent bleeding, the main thing is not to be afraid and not to panic. Continuous monitoring of the gynecologist will help to avoid serious complications, the birth will be successful, so you must strictly adhere to all his prescriptions and recommendations.