What is congenital cervical erosion

Cervical erosion refers to the shedding of the epidermis at the external os of the cervix, which is replaced by another type of epithelial cells at the os of the cervix. Because the new epithelium covering the surface is very thin, even the blood vessels and red tissue underneath can be seen, and it looks like real erosion, hence the name cervical erosion. It can be divided into pseudo-erosion, true erosion, congenital erosion and acquired erosion, among which congenital cervical erosion often occurs in infants.

During fetal development, except for the vaginal epithelium, other reproductive tract epithelia originate from the coelomic epithelium. When the embryo develops to the third or fourth month, the cylindrical epithelium in the cervical canal and the squamous epithelium on the surface of the cervical vagina can be clearly distinguished, and the junction of the two is located in the cervical canal. When the embryo develops to the sixth or seventh month, the columnar epithelium of the cervix has acquired secretory function. In the late pregnancy, the columnar epithelium of the cervix is ​​affected by maternal estrogen, proliferates and grows outside the cervical os. If it exceeds the external cervical os, about 1/3 of the cervix of newborn girls will have an appearance similar to adult cervical erosion.

There are many causes of cervical erosion, including too frequent sexual life, injuries from surgical procedures such as diagnostic curettage and cervical dilation, etc., while newborn girls are not affected by factors such as infection and injury. As the influence of maternal estrogen gradually decreases and subsides after birth, the symptoms of cervical erosion in baby girls, which are similar to those in adults, will gradually disappear.