What tests can confirm cervicitis?

Cervicitis is a common disease in women of childbearing age. There are two types: acute and chronic. Acute cervicitis often coexists with acute endometritis or acute vaginitis, but chronic cervicitis is more common. The main manifestation is increased vaginal discharge, which is sticky mucus or purulent mucus, sometimes accompanied by blood or blood streaks. Long-term chronic mechanical stimulation is the main cause of cervicitis.

What tests can confirm cervicitis?

1. Gynecological examination. Focus on checking the size, shape, texture, thickness of the cervix, and whether there is contact bleeding. Then check the condition of the vulva, vagina, uterus, and paracervical tissues (ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic lymph nodes, etc.).

2. Cervical smear cytology examination is a routine gynecological examination. It is simple, easy, cost-effective, and the most important auxiliary examination and the preferred initial screening method for cancer prevention surveys.

3. Colposcopy can quickly detect lesions that are invisible to the naked eye. Taking biopsies from suspicious areas during colposcopy can significantly improve the accuracy of biopsies.

4. Iodine test and naked eye observation are very simple and cheap, and can detect at least 2/3 of the lesions. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of naked eye observation in developing countries. As a preliminary screening method for cervical cancer, 3%-5% acetic acid solution is applied to the cervix. The reaction of the cervical epithelium to acetic acid is observed, and then a biopsy is taken from the white lesion area.

5. Pathological examination of cervical biopsy tissue is the basis for confirming cervical cancer.

At present, medical experts have shown that the main cause of cervical cancer is that women are infected with human papillomavirus. Therefore, medical scientists are working on an economical, efficient and cheap human papillomavirus test to screen for early cervical cancer, which is expected to be used in clinical practice soon.