How does cervical erosion affect pregnancy and should it be treated?

Diseases of the internal genital organs can lead to the development of fairly dangerous states for the fetus during its intrauterine development. Inflammatory processes that occur on the cervix, are common causes leading to the development of bleeding in the first half of pregnancy.

Doctors note that cervical erosion is a fairly common pathology that occurs among women. This condition can develop in both a woman who has given birth and a woman who has not given birth.

Erosion of the cervix uteri specialists call damage to the integrity of the mucous membranes in the cervical canal.

The importance of passing regular check-ups at a gynecologist erosion only increases: the danger of this pathology is that it leads to the vulnerability of various infections.

Women living in large industrial cities and in areas with unfavorable environmental conditions, according to statistics, have higher chances of its presence.

According to studies, almost every woman in the course of her life, doctors find signs of cervical erosion.

This is a more vulnerable surface than the rest of the mucous. Any infectious agent (virus, bacterium), getting into the vagina, can easily injure him.

With unclear states of the cervix The gynecologist may recommend that you pass special tests to the woman, the most important of which are:

• colposcopy;
• PAP test (smear analysis for atypical cells).

Doctors consider pathological erosion to replace the normal epithelial lining of the cervix with a cylindrical epithelium. The development of this pathological transition is influenced by the most numerous factors. Many of them act on the female body for quite a long time.

However, situations are often encountered when doctors first reveal signs of erosion during pregnancy. In this case, all adverse symptoms are enhanced by an altered hormone level, which is associated with an elevated concentration of many hormones.

Why the presence of erosion as the presence of normal cylindrical intra-cervical epithelium on the surface is normal and why she is not related to cervical cancer or myoma, will be described by the obstetrician-gynecologist, WHO expert, professor and doctor of medical sciences Svetlana Rogovskaya in the next program “Live healthy!”

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Erosion can develop at any age. Gynecologists note that this pathology is recorded for the first time even in women over 40 years of age.

Experts say that the erosive process should not always be treated, but if necessary, the treatment is quite complicated, has many complications (for example, stenosis of the cervical canal and the occurrence of problems with subsequent pregnancy are possible) and it takes an obligatory period of time to rehabilitate - at least 3-4 months. Some women for complete recovery may take about six months.

During a gynecological examination, doctors identify red spots that are located on the inner lining of the uterus. The process can be single or multiple. The size of the formations are also different. Massive processes, as a rule, are accompanied by the appearance of fairly pronounced adverse symptoms.

The erosive area of ​​the mucosa is quite vulnerable. Pathogenic microorganisms easily penetrate into such a damaged area. This leads to the development of local, and then the systemic inflammatory process. The most dangerous penetration into places of erosion of microorganisms that are sexually transmitted.

To date, scientists have not established a single reason for the development of this state. Every year, researchers propose to the medical public new theories of the development of erosion in the cervical canal. However, to establish a single cause of the development of this disease while they failed.

Experts believe that the following reasons contribute to the development of this pathological form.

• Too early sexual debut - previously 20 years. Scientists believe that at an early age, the epithelial lining of the cervical canal has not yet been fully formed. This leads to the fact that during sexual intercourse it is damaged, which further leads to the development of erosion on the cervix.
• Depleted immunity. Women suffering from severe diseases of internal organs or having cancer pathologies are at risk of developing erosion on the cervix. The reduced work of the immune system simply does not cope with infections that can cause local inflammation on the mucous membranes of the genital organs.
• Dishormonal disorders. Such states, as a rule, are secondary and arise as a result of various pathologies. Search for the cause of their appearance should be in the whole body. Diseases of the pituitary, ovary, thyroid, and other endocrine organs can lead to the development of an imbalance of female sex hormones.
• Untimely treated infectionssexually transmitted. Pathogenic microbes, falling on the inner lining of the uterus, quickly lead to the development of inflammation. Unprotected sexual intercourse and neglect of hygienic procedures contribute to the development of erosion on the cervix in women.

There are other possible causes.

• Long-term use of hormonal oral contraception. Especially often this situation develops if the medications for protection against unwanted pregnancies were chosen incorrectly. In this case, a woman forms an imbalance of the genital organs, which contributes to the development of her erosion.
• Previous abortions or spontaneous miscarriages. In this case, the effect on the neck is complex. Separated parts of the ovum and hormonal disorders contribute to the appearance of erosion. Doctors note that even a single abortion is enough for the development of an erosive process.
• Frequent change of sexual partners. The development of erosion on the cervix in this case occurs as a result of traumatization of the mucous membranes. Too intense sexual intercourse can also lead to erosion in a woman.
• HPV Every day more and more scientific research is published, suggesting that HPV infection can lead to the development of erosion on the cervix of women. Scientists have identified several oncogenic subtypes of human papillomavirus, which can lead to the development of various pathological conditions on the mucous membranes of the genital tract.
• Heredity. If a mother, grandmother or sister of a pregnant woman doctors diagnosed cervical erosion, then the risk of developing the same pathology increases by 1.5-2 times. This form of the disease is often congenital.

Numerous reviews of women in whom erosion was detected during pregnancy indicate that they did not feel any discomforting signs of this pathology. Absent from them and pain in the lower abdomen.

However, such a “silent” course of cervical erosion is not always the case. Some women still have symptoms. Their severity is largely determined by the volume of damaged tissue.

Many women brown secretions appear. Most often, they stand out from the vagina after intercourse. Also, such secretions may appear after a hot bath or sports. Weight lifting can trigger a woman’s symptoms.

Usually the discharge during the acute period of this pathology is dark scarlet or brown. If the erosion is actively bleeding, then they may become red. This symptom is extremely unfavorable. His appearance - a significant reason for immediate treatment to his doctor.

During bleeding from erosion, a woman may experience discomfort or "Pulling" pain in the lower abdomen. This symptom can also be triggered by sexual intercourse, physical exertion, or weight lifting. Moderation of the pain symptom is usually insignificant. It usually lasts a few hours. The pain can then appear, then subside.

Erosion is quite rarely manifested by any disorders of general well-being. The future mother practically does not feel the change of mood or other adverse symptoms associated with this pathology. In some cases, women can only get tired faster and feel very sleepy.

Active cervical erosion can be dangerous for both the mother and her baby. During bleeding from the damaged area, blood is secreted. If this process is regular, then it can contribute to severe anemisation of a pregnant woman.

In this case, in her blood hemoglobin concentration is significantly reduced, which is necessary for the full growth and development of the fetus. Through hemoglobin, dissolved oxygen is transported to the baby’s body.

Anemia caused by frequent bleeding from erosion, adversely affects the intrauterine development of the baby as a whole. Usually, anemization of a woman is mild, and hemoglobin does not fall below 90 g / liter. More serious conditions require the conduct of complex treatment.

High risk of infection of “bare” eroded sites may trigger the development of many infections in the fetus. Some of the diseases can even cause abnormalities and malformations of the internal organs.

Eroded areas of the uterine lining lose their normal density. They can easily tear even when exposed to light or moderate intensity. This situation is possible with the passage of a large fetus on the maternal genital tract during childbirth. Women who have a narrow cervical canal are at increased risk if they develop such gaps. In this case, doctors try to avoid natural childbirth and use cesarean section.

The presence of active erosion on the cervix can even lead to the onset of preterm labor in a woman. Some pregnant women have cases of early discharge of amniotic fluid.This situation is extremely dangerous for the fetus and requires urgent obstetric assistance.

It is impossible to determine erosion using only any analyzes, unfortunately. Such tests are only used to establish a possible cause that contributed to the development of this condition.

Established diagnosis of cervical erosion during extended pelvic exam. If the doctor during the study found on the mucous membrane of the cervical canal any red spots, he will offer the woman to perform a colposcopy.

This research method is more accurate. A special device called a colposcope is used to hold it. Using the device, you can get an enlarged image that helps the doctor to qualitatively examine all parts of the cervical canal and identify pathologies.

During such a study, you can also take several sections of the damaged tissue for biopsy. This study will show the morphological picture of the changes.

It is after a biopsy that you can establish the correct diagnosis. Also, this study is necessary to exclude the transition of erosion in pretumor states.

A biopsy is performed in a special laboratory. The deadline for this study may be several days. When the laboratory is busy, the duration of the test can be a week or more.

When an erosive process is found on the cervix, a compulsory doctor will recommend a woman to undergo a complex of tests for sexually transmitted infections. Such studies necessarily include tests for the detection of chlamydia, gonococci, pale treponema, herpes viruses, various subtypes of papillomaviruses, HIV.

During the extended gynecological examination necessarily taken a smear. It serves as a specific cellular diagnosis. With the help of this research, it is possible to detect atypical cells that are markers of the development of neoplasms.

Erosion therapy is not required if it is physiological, that is, it is the result of mucosal development.

With age, the body will close this vulnerable area with a more complete protective flat epithelium, which gradually gathers to the center of the cervical canal and goes inside (this process begins to occur in almost all women after 30 years).

With the development of pathology, there are different methods of therapy, many of which have many complications, so they should be addressed in exceptional cases when treatment is really necessary.

One of the most popular methods is cauterization of the erosive area by radio waves. Sometimes it is held for girls who do not yet have babies.

The method is applied in case of chronic recurrent inflammation. Quite often, a scar remains on the neck after such cauterization. This stretch of fabric is practically not stretched.

During natural childbirth and when the baby passes through the birth canal, this pathology can be a significant threat to normal delivery. For this reason, doctors are trying to reduce the possibility of using radio waves for cauterization of erosion during pregnancy.

A few years ago, gynecologists applied treatment with electric current. This technique is very aggressive and traumatic. It often leads to the development of scars and scars on the cervix, which are large in size. Such treatment is currently being carried out less and less, as new modern techniques have appeared.

Another method that is used by experts to cauterize erosion is called nitrogen therapy. In this case, the damaged area is treated with liquid nitrogen. With a correct procedure, the risk of scarring on the cervix is ​​insignificant.

Many gynecologists prefer an alternative method of therapy, which involves the use of laser techniques. This technique is less aggressive and less likely causes scarring on the treated neck. Specialists resort to the use of such treatment only in an exceptional case, when the pathological process is expressed significantly.

Many doctors try to avoid cauterization of erosion. In this case, they prescribe drugs to future mothers that have an effect on the cause that led to the development of this pathology in them. Successfully applied in treatment restorative therapywhich is aimed at enhancing immunity.

In medical practice, cases are often recorded when cervical erosion passes independently after childbirth. Such a situation is quite understandable if erosion was of physiological origin. Also, its development is possible if hormonal disturbances have led to the occurrence of mucosal damage. After pregnancy, the levels of hormones in the blood of a woman are normalized, which leads to the epithelialization of damaged tissue.

Since the area of ​​erosion is vulnerable, it is necessary to follow the rules of personal hygiene and to wash properly, to prevent the ingestion of E. coli into the vagina.

During intercourse, it is worth using protective equipment (condoms, spermicides).