What Is A Cervical Erosion?

Condition analysis: 

The cervix is the lowest part of the uterus (womb) and is the part that can be felt at the top of the vagina.

A cervical erosion is a raw-looking granular appearance on the cervix. It occurs when the inner lining of the cervical canal (columnar epithelium) comes out onto the part of the cervix that can be visualised with a speculum. It appears as a red, velvet-like area.

Cervical erosion is related to the hormone called oestrogen and is common in young girls, during pregnancy and in women on the contraceptive pill. It should not be regarded as a sign of disease because it is frequently found in perfectly healthy women.

Gynaecolgists now tend to use the term cervical ectopy and at one time it was called a cervical ectropion. The cervix is not eroded and there is no ulceration – it is simply that the columnar epithelium is much thinner than the squamous epithelium and so the underlying blood vessels show through more clearly, making the area look red and raw.

Cervical erosion is a completely benign condition and it does not lead to cancer.

During childbirth or miscarriage, the surface covering of the cervix can be damaged and become inflamed (cervicitis). Evidence of this inflammation can still be found even many years later. Sometimes small mucus filled cysts form on the cervix (Nabothian follicles). Chronic cervicitis may be associated with discharge or bleeding after intercourse. Cervical ectopy and cervicitis are not pre-malignant or malignant conditions.

Instructions: 

Vaginal discharge: Vaginal ectropion and discharge are highly linked. You might notice an increase in the amount of discharge in your vagina that may seem abnormal. The discharge may vary in color, though most the most common kind is a yellowish discharge.

When infections occur in this region, pus cells may produce the yellow discharge.

In severe cases, the discharge may have a foul smell.

During routine vaginal examinations, some women may be found to have a discharge without any kind of infection. This may mean they have cervical ectropion evidenced by bright red cells on the outer walls of the cervix.