Will chronic cervicitis lead to infertility? Women must know these common sense about chronic cervicitis

Chronic cervicitis is the most common gynecological disease, and more than half of married women suffer from this disease to varying degrees. Many women have less obvious symptoms of acute cervicitis, which are often ignored and directly lead to chronic cervicitis. About 20% to 25% of patients with excessive vaginal discharge are caused by cervicitis. If the leucorrhea caused by inflammation is sticky and purulent, it will be detrimental to the passage of sperm through the cervical canal, thus leading to infertility.

A small number of patients with chronic cervicitis have uncured acute cervicitis that turns into a chronic disease, while the vast majority of patients do not have an obvious course of disease, and some patients do not have any discomfort symptoms after becoming ill, or only show increased vaginal discharge, and are only found to have chronic cervicitis during gynecological examinations. Chronic cervicitis is often caused by incomplete treatment of acute cervicitis, and pathogens hide in the cervical mucosa to form chronic inflammation. It is often seen that pathogens invade and cause infection after childbirth, abortion or surgical injury to the cervix.

Some patients do not have symptoms of acute cervicitis and directly develop chronic cervicitis. The pathogens of chronic cervicitis are mainly staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli and anaerobic bacteria. At present, chronic cervicitis caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is increasing, and herpes simplex virus may also be related to chronic cervicitis. Pathogens invade the cervical mucosa and hide there. Due to the many folds of the cervical mucosa, the infection is not easy to clear and often forms chronic inflammation.

Because the cervical canal contains glandular cells that secrete mucus, the cervical mucus secreted at ordinary times is very viscous, which can prevent bacteria and sperm from entering the uterine cavity, acting as a natural barrier and having its own protective function. With the change of menstrual cycle (which changes with the cyclical change of sex hormones), the diameter of the external cervical opening, the size of the cervical opening, the degree of vascular change of the tissue, and the properties (physical and chemical properties) and quantity of cervical mucus all change cyclically.

In the first half of the menstrual cycle (referring to the period from the onset of menstruation to the ovulation period), the cervix is ​​affected by sex hormones (mainly estrogen) and begins to become congested, edematous, and vascularized. At the same time, the cervical mucus will become thin and transparent for several consecutive days. It still has the effect of preventing infection and can allow sperm to smoothly enter the uterus to achieve the purpose of fertilization (the cervical mucus at this time is thin, transparent, and the stringiness can reach 10 cm, and fern-like crystals can be seen under a microscope). In the second half of the menstrual cycle (referring to ovulation to the next menstruation), under the influence of sex hormones (mainly progesterone), the secretion of cervical mucus gradually decreases, the texture becomes sticky and turbid, the stringiness becomes worse and it is easy to break, and ellipsoids can be seen under a microscope.

Chronic cervicitis is the most common gynecological disease. It is often seen after childbirth, miscarriage or surgical injury to the cervix, pathogens invade and cause infection, and it is transformed from acute cervicitis. Many women have mild symptoms of acute cervicitis, which are often ignored and directly lead to chronic cervicitis. About 20% to 25% of patients with excessive vaginal discharge are caused by cervicitis. If the leucorrhea caused by inflammation is sticky and purulent, it will be detrimental to the passage of sperm through the cervical canal, thus leading to infertility.

Cervical mycoplasma infection can cause increased cervical secretions, change the pH value of cervical mucus, affect the passage of sperm through the cervix, damage the reproductive tract mucosa, and cause immune cells to come into contact with sperm to produce anti-sperm antibodies, leading to infertility.

In addition, cervical chlamydia and mycoplasma infection can cause endometritis, salpingitis and pelvic inflammatory disease, resulting in inflammation that damages the fallopian tube mucosa, causing adhesion or blockage of the fallopian tubes, leading to tubal infertility. Cervical polyps can block the cervical opening and affect the passage of sperm.