Thanks to a smear from the cervical canal during pregnancy, you can get a general idea about the microflora, as well as prescribe the appropriate treatment for the woman. This measure helps to identify the various nature of the pathology at an early stage, to cure them in order to give birth to a healthy child. Such a smear can be taken in two ways. You can find out how a smear is taken from the cervical canal during pregnancy from this article.
Such a study allows us to determine oncological diseases. A smear from the cervical canal during pregnancy is carried out a day after douching. It is recommended to take it also to women for prevention every year. The use of oral contraceptives, the development of a disease or any pathology of the reproductive system implies the conduct of this study at least once every six months. So, let's take a closer look at what a smear from the cervical canal during pregnancy is, in what cases it is done, and also how the tests are decoded.
Features of the structure of the female reproductive system
In a woman, the cervical canal during pregnancy and childbirth plays an important role. Its average length is usually 3-4 cm.
Fungi and germs live in the female vagina. The uterine cavity is sterile. Certain cells are responsible for the production of natural mucus. The amount of female sex hormones can have a direct effect on the quality and properties of this mucus. At the beginning and at the end of menstruation, a viscous acidic environment is characteristic. At this time, it completely blocks the cervical canal. Those microbes that enter the acidic environment die, and the spermatozoa completely lose their mobility, as well as the ability to fertilize. In the case of a maximum estrogen level, the mucus acquires an alkaline liquid medium. In the middle of the cycle, sperm cells, together with the eggs, give rise to a new life. After conception, progesterone is produced.
The female vagina is lined with such an epithelium, which is first renewed, then matures, and at the end of the cycle is rejected. The next population of cells will appear every 4-5 days. The composition of these cells will depend on some factors, namely:
- menstruation phase;
- menstrual cycle.
Indications
Taking a smear during pregnancy is carried out with a simple gynecological examination of a woman. To do this, the doctor must use a special spatula. A swab during pregnancy is taken from different areas of the corresponding channel. The biomaterial from the cervix is then applied to a special plate, and then sent for research to the laboratory. If the smear collection procedure during pregnancy is carried out correctly, then the patient should not feel any pain. However, this process has some implications.
The consequences of a smear from the cervical canal during pregnancy are discomfort, which is felt in the vaginal area throughout the day.
This biomaterial is taken in order to identify any pathologies localized on the cervix.
Preparation
Normally, a smear during pregnancy should be taken in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Before passing biomaterial for cytology, you should adhere to some doctor's recommendations. For example, before taking a smear from a woman during pregnancy, a specialist advises patients to refuse sex, use of vaginal products, douching and contraceptives for a few days. At this time, you also can’t visit a gynecologist, perform colposcopy. In this case, the smear during pregnancy for cytology will be as reliable as possible.
Many gynecologists recommend that patients take biomaterial in the case of healthy microflora. And so that there are no unpleasant consequences with a smear from the cervical canal during pregnancy, it is necessary to pay attention to contraindications.
Contraindications
If a woman has any diseases and microflora disorders, then she must first be cured, and then take an analysis. The purity of the vagina when taking a smear during pregnancy should normally have a first degree. If necessary, a woman should pass biomaterial to the flora.
In addition, women who have an active sex life should periodically take this analysis. In no case should you take a smear during pregnancy for flora and cytology from a gynecological mirror. For this, only a special brush is used. In the case of existing ectopia and other changes in the cervix, the material is taken from these sites.
Women in position should have a smear smear for cytology twice for 9 months. If necessary, a swab from the cervical canal during pregnancy can be taken more often.
Diagnosis and treatment
The interpretation of this analysis, as a rule, is included in the specialization of the doctor. Gynecologists, when decoding a smear during pregnancy, pay special attention to atypical cells. A moderate amount will talk about the development of an inflammatory process inside the uterus. For this reason, a smear for cytology should be given at a time when the white blood cells do not exceed the permissible value.
Normally, a smear on the flora during pregnancy implies the absence of any atypical cells. Otherwise, the specialist makes a diagnosis of a disease.
In the case of a bad smear during pregnancy, when malignant cells are found there, cancer develops on the cervix. If the doctor has determined dysplasia of the first degree, then the woman should undergo a full examination as soon as possible. In the case of dysplasia of the second or third degree, colposcopy, conization and biopsy should be performed. Conization in this case involves the removal of the affected areas of the cervix using a radio knife or a scalpel. Grade 3 dysplasia refers to cancer, the treatment of which is included in the specialization of the gynecologist. The patient is placed in a special oncology clinic.
Treatment and diagnosis of ailments affecting the cervical canal involves the use of curettage. This procedure is carried out for medicinal purposes in the following situations:
- polyps;
- hyperplasia
- fibroid removal;
- uterine bleeding.
After that, the biomaterial is sent for research to the laboratory. Curettage should be prescribed by a gynecologist if this technique is considered the only diagnostic method, as well as genital therapy.
Sow smear during pregnancy
When a woman saw two stripes on her pregnancy test, she thinks that there is no longer reason for any concern. At this time, you can enjoy a happy period and relax. However, it is necessary to keep abreast of the pulse constantly, in particular, to expectant mothers who could become pregnant after long-term therapy. In order for the picture to become clear and complete, you should regularly take an analysis and conduct certain studies, which the doctor prescribes.
One of the main studies during the entire period of pregnancy is bacterial culture, which is taken from the cervical canal. From his condition will depend on how successful the outcome of the entire pregnancy will be. It is in the cervical canal that a huge number of different pathogens and microorganisms dangerous for the woman’s body and the fetus accumulate, starting from Klebsiella and ending with Escherichia coli. Their early detection and subsequent therapy guarantee the birth of a healthy child.
Cervical canal
The cervical canal is a kind of bridge that goes to the vagina from the cervix. Specialists call it the pharynx. During menstruation, blood clots go out through the cervical canal, and sperm to the egg also move through it. On average, the width of this channel is about 7 mm. This value may vary depending on the age, existing infections in the urinary tract, as well as the patient’s hormonal status.
In addition, pregnancy is also able to add its own adjustments to normal life and the condition of the cervical canal.
In a woman in position, its length reaches 4 cm, provided that the length of the cervix is not less than 2 cm. Both ends of the channel in normal condition should close. According to their degree of openness and condition, the specialist determines the term of delivery. It is on this section of the reproductive system that a woman has a cork that separates the baby and placenta from the influence of various harmful factors from the external environment throughout the pregnancy. A couple of weeks before birth, this cork starts to recede. From this moment on, future mothers should carefully listen to their own well-being. When the baby begins to move along the birth canal, the cervical canal expands to almost 10 cm.
At a very short time, the pharynx acquires a bluish tint, indicating that the pregnancy has come.
Assignment of tests for bacterial culture
Bakseeding from the cervical canal during pregnancy is one of the most effective, as well as informative methods for monitoring the condition of the female reproductive system. Bakposev shows the existing pathogenic flora or the reaction of the female body to the use of any antibiotics. When the results are obtained, the specialist will immediately be able to choose an individual treatment for the patient. Sowing is also carried out to study beneficial bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
This analysis is not assigned to everyone. Any specialist in the case of registering a future mother with her will take a general smear for the study. Under the condition of an increased content of leukocytes there, a specialist will take a smear directly from the cervical canal. This can be explained by the fact that a high level of leukocytes indicates the current inflammatory process in the female body. The exact cause can only be identified after additional analysis.
Before research
Reviews of a smear during pregnancy by experts say that for a more transparent picture, a woman should prepare for this procedure. If she ignores the recommendations of the gynecologist, then he will get a distorted result, and this is the way to prescribe the wrong therapy and unpleasant consequences. It should be prepared for analysis in a few days, and preferably in 2 weeks.
For this, the use of any antibacterial agents is discontinued. You should also refuse douching. Experts recommend excluding the use of vaginal birth control creams and suppositories. A couple of days before the study should abandon sexual intimacy. If a few days before the analysis, colposcopy or any other diagnostic procedures were carried out with the introduction of a mirror into the uterus, then the study should be postponed for several days.
It is important to note that for pregnant women this procedure should be performed by a gynecologist who has sufficient experience. As a rule, the results are ready already on the fifth day after taking the material.
What will the result say?
In a pregnant woman in a normal culture only beneficial microorganisms should be detected: bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Specialists also assume the presence of a small amount of E. coli. However, the percentage of the latter should not be more than 10. There should be no mushrooms in the crop at all. Pathology should be talked about if the following microorganisms are present in the biomaterial:
- Yeast fungi, in particular candida or mycelium.
- E. coli, the amount of which is beyond the normal range.
- Staphylococcus of all varieties.
- Trichomonads.
- Gonococcus.
- Gardnerella.
Future mothers should be aware that ureaplasmas, mycoplasmas and chlamydia are not able to detect this type of study. Pathogenic bacteria develop with different intensities, and what diagnosis will be made to the woman will depend on this. When the hazard level is 2 or 1, then the bacteria grows weakly and slowly, present only in a liquid medium. And this is a signal of contaminated microflora.
Bacteria that exceed 100 colonies in a solid medium will also testify to the development of the inflammatory process. The main causes of pathology include improper hygiene, hereditary diseases, and a weakened immune system. These data will help the gynecologist make the right decision on the appointment of treatment for the patient.
The back-sowing fence directly from the cervical canal is an important step in the diagnosis of a pregnant woman. With his help, it will be possible to avoid irreparable consequences in the future. To neutralize and find any pathology at an early stage is much easier than then treating it in a neglected form. Sometimes this is simply not possible. Any girl, woman should think about such a study even when planning a pregnancy, so that she will be able to give birth to a healthy baby with a higher degree of probability.
What else do you need to know?
If the woman is not pregnant, then a smear should be taken in the middle of the cycle. This is done about a week after the last menstruation.
It is best to take this analysis in the case of a completely healthy microflora. When a woman has any pathological discharge, itching, an unpleasant odor from the vagina, rashes, she should first be cured, achieving the first degree of purity of her organ. Then there is a high proportion of the probability that the inflammatory process on the cervix will not develop, since it will make the result uninformative. It is also best to pre-pass biomaterial onto the flora directly from the cervical canal. According to the results of this smear, white blood cells should normally be no more than 30 pieces in the field of view.
For prevention purposes, an analysis is given at least once a year. It is important to do this for those who have an active sex life, constantly changing sexual partners, and also suffer from the human papillomavirus.
The smear should be taken by a specialist using a special brush called a spatula. Particular attention should be paid to this. The fact is that in our country in antenatal clinics these tools are not always available, and specialists can take the analysis directly from the gynecological mirror, which touched the cervix. However, this analysis cannot be completely reliable.
If there is an ectopia on the neck, as well as any other changes, then the material is taken directly from it, since this is a background disease in cancer.
Some people think that taking biomaterial in this way hurts. This erroneous opinion has spread because sometimes this study is confused with aspiration of the endometrium. These are completely different diagnostic procedures. After passing the test, a small amount of spotting may form. This is not dangerous, is considered the norm.
When a smear is taken from the cervical canal during pregnancy, the norm will be exactly the same.
Conclusion
Infectious diseases can disrupt the course of the entire pregnancy, provoke premature birth, and cause miscarriage or mild labor. The cervical canal sowing is an important step in the diagnosis of a pregnant woman. Thanks to him, irreparable problems can be avoided during further development of the fetus. Also, a specialist can neutralize and find at an early stage any disease or pathology. For this reason, any girl should be thoroughly examined during pregnancy to give birth to a healthy baby. In addition, those girls who are only planning to conceive should visit a gynecologist and take a smear for examination.