Does female cervical erosion affect pregnancy? How to treat female cervical erosion?

Once cervical erosion is detected during pregnancy preparation, many female friends will begin to worry whether they can still get pregnant in this situation? Will it affect the fetus after pregnancy? So, will it? Let's follow the experts to find out!

Causes of cervical erosion

First of all, we need to understand what cervical erosion is. In fact, most of the cervical erosion seen in clinical work is not true pathological erosion, but under the regulation of hormone level fluctuations, the external os of the cervix is ​​covered by the surrounding columnar epithelium, forming a granular surface with a certain glossy red area, which looks like real erosion, but is actually just a normal physiological phenomenon, not a disease.

Only in a few cases, due to mechanical stimulation or injury, such as miscarriage, labor lacerations, invasion of pathogenic microorganisms, and inflammatory infiltration of deep cervical tissues, the squamous epithelium covering the surface of the cervix falls off and forms ulcers, which is true erosion. However, this erosion surface is quickly covered by the surrounding columnar epithelium, and true erosion is only a short stage in this pathological process.

At present, the term cervical erosion has been abolished in foreign countries and replaced by columnar epithelial ectopia or columnar epithelial ectropion. Due to many years of secular habits, this name is still used in my country. Having cervical erosion does not mean that the cervix has lesions, and women who do not have cervical erosion do not necessarily have a normal cervix. Figuratively speaking, cervical erosion is like a person's appearance is ugly, but whether this person is good or not has nothing to do with appearance.

Symptoms of cervical erosion

Symptoms of cervical erosion include increased leucorrhea, yellow color, sticky texture and odor. Inflammatory leucorrhea can also cause itching if it stimulates the perineum for a long time. The color, state and quality of leucorrhea may vary depending on the pathogen. Therefore, some symptoms of cervical erosion include blood in the leucorrhea. Sometimes, there will still be signs of contact bleeding and irregular vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse, accompanied by symptoms such as frequent urination and urgency.

In addition, given that the cervical lymphatics are directly connected to the paracervical connective tissue, and the cervical erosion has a wide surface and deep infiltration, the inflammation can spread to the pelvic cavity through the lymphatic circulation, causing pelvic connective tissue inflammation, which in turn causes pelvic inflammatory disease. At this time, symptoms of cervical erosion may also include lumbar and sacral pain, lower abdominal distension, and dysmenorrhea. The degree of cervical erosion symptoms varies depending on individual physical conditions, and is generally aggravated during menstruation, defecation, or sexual intercourse.

Does cervical erosion affect pregnancy?

If it is just simple cervical erosion, without contact bleeding, abnormal leucorrhea, lower abdominal distension and other discomfort symptoms, and the cervical cytology test is normal, you can get pregnant. Even if there is a slight inflammation, due to the large amount of transparent mucus secreted by the cervical canal during ovulation, it is conducive to the passage of sperm, generally speaking, it will not have much impact on conception.

However, if cervical erosion is accompanied by severe inflammatory manifestations, such as purulent leucorrhea in the cervix, and infection with pathogens such as chlamydia or gonococcal infection, the cervical mucus becomes thick and contains a large number of white blood cells, which is not conducive to the activity and penetration of sperm and will affect conception. Active treatment is required, and pregnancy should be attempted after the symptoms of cervicitis improve. Otherwise, the bacteria will ascend along the cervix during pregnancy, which may cause complications such as premature rupture of membranes. Treatments suitable for women with cervical erosion who want to have children include drug therapy and non-invasive physical therapy such as focused ultrasound.

In addition, if there are abnormalities in cervical cytology, further colposcopy should be performed, and multiple biopsies or cone biopsies should be performed to remove lesion specimens and send them for pathological examination. If the biopsy pathological results show high-grade cervical lesions or above, cervical erosion at this time requires surgical treatment. Related surgeries may increase the risk of premature birth and miscarriage. Therefore, women of childbearing age should have a regular gynecological examination and cervical cytology examination every year, and try to achieve early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment in the early stages of cervical lesions.

Does cervical erosion have any effect on the baby?

In fact, due to the obvious eversion of the columnar epithelium of the cervix during pregnancy, it almost always appears as severe erosion, and sometimes even with thickened blood vessels on the surface, which looks difficult to distinguish from cervical cancer. Nevertheless, cervical erosion itself does not affect the health and growth and development of the baby. If you do not understand cervical erosion during pregnancy and abuse drugs, it may cause abnormal development of the baby.

However, it should be noted that pregnant women have relatively low immunity due to their physiological characteristics and are particularly susceptible to various pathogens. If cervical erosion is accompanied by serious bacterial infection, it may lead to premature rupture of membranes, premature birth, and delivery of low-birth-weight infants. The Stanford University research team conducted an amniotic fluid sampling survey on 166 pregnant women with signs of premature birth and found that bacteria or fungi were found in 15% of the samples. For pregnant women with combined cervical and vaginal inflammation, appropriate drug treatment can be given on the premise of weighing the pros and cons and making informed choices.

What are the points for patients with cervical erosion to pay attention to during pregnancy? How to treat it?

As mentioned above, pregnant women are more susceptible to various infections than non-pregnant women. Expectant mothers with cervical erosion should pay special attention to the following during pregnancy:

1. Avoid infection: Pay attention to personal hygiene, keep the vulva clean and dry; wash and change underwear frequently, do not share bath towels with others; avoid tub baths and vaginal douching.

2. Improve immunity: Get enough sleep, ensure 8-10 hours of sleep a day; eat rich and balanced nutrition, do not smoke or drink, avoid spicy food, drink plenty of water, eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins; maintain an optimistic mood, and regularly engage in outdoor activities.

3. Strictly control the frequency and intensity of sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse is prohibited in the first three months of pregnancy and one month before delivery, and sexual intercourse is limited in the second trimester of pregnancy. In addition to avoiding premature birth and miscarriage induced by intense sexual intercourse, it can also reduce the chance of damage and infection to the very delicate cervix during pregnancy.

4. Regular follow-up testing. If you have symptoms such as abnormal vaginal discharge and contact bleeding, you should seek medical attention in time, identify the cause, and use medications reasonably and in a standardized manner under the guidance of a doctor. Do not buy medicines at the pharmacy on your own and use them at will. Cervical erosion itself does not require treatment, but regular follow-up cervical cytology examinations should be performed. If moderate to severe erosion is accompanied by discomfort and treatment is required, a biopsy under the guidance of a colposcopy can be performed after delivery. After excluding cervical lesions, physical treatments such as laser and microwave can be performed.

What should women with cervical erosion do if they bleed during pregnancy?

In fact, this situation is due to the continuous increase of estrogen and progesterone in pregnant women, which will aggravate cervical erosion and lead to irregular vaginal bleeding. This bleeding is different from the bleeding during miscarriage and will not directly affect the health of the fetus. However, if this continues for a long time, due to the existence of cervical erosion, the resistance of pregnant women will be reduced, and they may be infected with other genital inflammations. Eventually, premature rupture of membranes and loss of amniotic fluid will occur, leading to miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women cannot ignore this phenomenon and must treat cervical erosion in time, otherwise cervical erosion will cause miscarriage and cause regrets for women.