- Symptoms of chronic cervicitis
- Treatment to Cure Chronic Cervicitis
- Is chronic cervicitis HPV?
- Main causes
- Possible complications
Chronic cervicitis is a constant irritation of the cervix, which mainly affects women of childbearing age. This disease causes pain in the uterus, swelling and redness in the vagina, and there may also be yellowish or greenish discharge when it is caused by an STD.
Usually cervicitis is caused by an allergy to some intimate product or by diseases, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea or HPV, for example. Thus, cervicitis can be contagious if the disease is caused by an STD and if the woman has intimate contact with her partner without a condom. Find out what are the main symptoms of STDs in women.
Cervicitis is curable when it is possible to completely eliminate what is causing the disease. Thus, one should go to the gynecologist to find out if it is an allergy or if there are any viruses or bacteria involved to start the appropriate treatment.
Symptoms of chronic cervicitis
Chronic cervicitis does not always present symptoms, but when they are present, they can be:
- Swelling and redness in the vagina; Itching in the genital region; Pain in the uterus, in the bottom of the belly; Frequent urine; Pain during sexual intercourse; Feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvic region; Yellowish or greenish discharge when there is any bacteria involved.
In most cases, chronic cervicitis does not cause symptoms, so it is important that all women have at least 1 gynecological consultation per year to check if there are any changes that need treatment.
The gynecologist can arrive at the diagnosis of this disease through the observation of the entire intimate region with the vaginal speculum and the result of exams such as vaginal smear, pap smear or biopsy, for example. See which are the 7 main exams requested by the gynecologist.
Treatment to Cure Chronic Cervicitis
Treatment for chronic cervicitis can be done using antibiotics to take and antibiotic ointments to apply inside the vagina, such as Novaderm or Donnagel, which reduce uterine infection when the cause is bacteria. Antiviral drugs can be used in case of infection caused by viruses. Learn more about treating cervicitis.
During treatment it is recommended that the woman maintain good hygiene in the intimate region, washing only the outer region daily and changing her panties every day. Until the end of the treatment, you should not have sexual intercourse, so that the tissues can heal. When the disease is caused by an STD, the partner must also be treated to prevent the disease from recurring after treatment, if the partner has an STD, for example.
When treatment with drugs cannot cure the disease, the gynecologist may also recommend laser surgery or cryotherapy to remove the part of the tissue that is infected. Usually, the surgery is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and the woman returns home on the same day, without pain or complications.
Is chronic cervicitis HPV?
Chronic cervicitis can be caused by the HPV virus but it is not always, and it can be caused by other conditions, such as allergies or other viruses or bacteria. Find out what the symptoms are, transmission and how the HPV treatment is done.
Main causes
Chronic cervicitis can have non-infectious causes, such as an allergic reaction to the IUD, diaphragm, condom, spermicide, intimate gel, tampon, for example. It can also happen in women who use vaginal showers frequently, as this eliminates the good bacteria from this location, favoring the growth of bad bacteria.
Chronic inflammation of the cervix can also be caused by the presence of bacteria such as staphylococci , streptococci , E coli, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, chlamydia , Trichomona vaginalis, the presence of the Herpes simplex virus and diseases such as Naboth's cyst, which is a small nodule that forms on the surface of the cervix. Here's how to identify and treat Naboth's cyst.
The women who are most at risk of developing chronic cervicitis are those in late pregnancy; who have had children or are older. In addition, women who have already had some type of STD and those who have intimate contact without condoms with several partners, are those most at risk of developing this disease.
Possible complications
When the chronic inflammation of the cervix is not cured, complications can arise due to the permanence of this alteration in the uterus, and there may be:
- Spread of infection by the uterus, bladder, endometrium, ovaries and fallopian tube leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID); Pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to infertility and ectopic pregnancy; Increased risk of contamination with the HIV virus; Pregnant women are at risk of spontaneous abortion and premature birth, if cervicitis is not treated; Permanence or return of infection even after treatment.
Whoever had an episode of cervicitis can avoid a new condition by taking some precautions such as avoiding the use of the vaginal shower, having sex always with the same partner and always with a condom, not introducing anything in the vagina, avoiding the use of tampons, peeing afterwards of sex, having a pap smear once a year and always going to the gynecologist as soon as symptoms appear such as pelvic pain, pain when urinating, pain during intercourse or any type of discharge.
