Cervical polyps
The content of the article:
- Possible reasons
- Risk group
- Symptoms of cervical polyps
- Classification
- Diagnostics
-
Treatment of cervical polyps
- Hormone therapy
-
Surgical removal
Contraindications to removal of polyps
- Potential consequences and complications
- Prevention
- Video
The cervical polyp refers to benign neoplasms localized in the walls of the cervical canal. Pathology can develop due to infection or after prolonged inflammation of the pelvic organs, as a response to stagnation of blood in the cervical canal or an increase in estrogen levels.
Polyp of the cervix occurs for various reasons and requires timely diagnosis and treatment
Polyps appear as smooth, finger-shaped, rounded or elongated growths on a thin stalk or broad base. They may include glandular epithelium or connective tissue, or both types of tissue at the same time.
In women, both single neoplasms and multiple ones can be diagnosed. Depending on the patient's age, history, size and place of growths attachment, the gynecologist individually selects the most effective treatment method.
It should be borne in mind that the lack of timely therapy or self-medication can lead to dangerous consequences - uterine bleeding, infertility, as well as the degeneration of outgrowths into malignant tumors, which requires removal of the uterus.
Possible reasons
The trigger mechanism for the formation of build-ups is not fully understood. Most often, pathology is diagnosed in patients with hormonal disorders, chronic infections or inflammation of the genital organs.
Presumably, the appearance of polyps can lead to:
- diabetes;
- deficiency of progesterone;
- inflammatory processes inside the uterine membrane;
- endocrine system pathology;
- overweight;
- genetic predisposition;
- the presence of several spontaneous or induced abortions;
- excess estrogen, which leads to overgrowth of the endometrium;
- pelvic injuries resulting from childbirth or medical procedures.
Risk group
Taking into account the possible causes of the disease, as well as risk factors that contribute to the appearance of growths both in the cervix and in its other areas, a group of patients was identified in whom the probability of developing pathology is the highest.
These include women over the age of 20 who have had two or more pregnancies, smokers and alcohol abusers, who have:
- deviations of the ovarian-menstrual cycle;
- overweight;
- hereditary or acquired diseases of the liver and gallbladder;
- metabolic disorders, especially carbohydrate metabolism.
Symptoms of cervical polyps
For the most part, the process of formation and growth of polyps takes a long time without pronounced symptoms.
Most often, patients complain of such signs of pathology as:
- grayish white or clear discharge;
- bleeding from the vagina after intercourse, douching, between periods or after menopause;
- pulling pain in the lower abdomen;
- menstrual irregularities.
Classification
The following types of cervical polyps are distinguished:
| View | Characteristic |
| Glandular | Formed from the mucous membrane of the cervical canal. They have a glandular structure, almond-shaped or rounded, a fine-grained surface from light pink to bluish-purple in color. Usually found in patients of reproductive age. With proper treatment, relapses and complications are not observed |
| Fibrous |
They are quite rare, mainly in women over the age of 40. They consist of connective tissues, which determines their dense structure, sometimes they include single glands |
| Glandular fibrous | In the vast majority of cases, they develop in women of reproductive age with a stable menstrual cycle. They include irregularly shaped glands of various lengths and connective tissues. Much more often than other polyps, they are accompanied by circulatory disorders and inflammatory processes |
| Adenomatous | This type of polyps is practically not found in its pure form. Growths with focal adenomatosis are usually diagnosed. Such neoplasms after menopause, with endocrine and metabolic disorders, can degenerate into malignant tumors |
| Angiomatous |
Most often appear during pregnancy, against the background of fluctuations in the hormonal background. This group is manifested by both true polyps and pseudopolyps. The growths do not have legs, but are attached to the cervix by their vascular body. In most cases, they dissolve on their own within a few weeks after delivery. If the growths begin to bleed in early pregnancy, they are removed immediately, as they can cause a miscarriage |
Diagnostics
To make a diagnosis, the doctor examines the patient's history and clarifies whether she had cysts, erosion, as well as chronic diseases of various organs and systems in the past.
To exclude the degeneration of a polyp into a malignant tumor, a histological examination of a sample of affected cells is required
To determine the type of polyps and their composition, diagnostic curettage of the walls of the cervix and a histological examination of a sample of affected cells are performed. This makes it possible to clarify what type of tissue the tumor consists of in order to exclude or confirm its tendency to malignant degeneration.
Treatment of cervical polyps
Depending on the hormonal status of the patient, her age, the type of neoplasm and the place of its attachment, the gynecologist selects the most effective treatment tactics in each specific case.
Treatment tactics are determined individually by the doctor.
Hormone therapy
Growths that begin to grow against the background of menstrual irregularities are treated with hormone therapy. A woman takes oral contraceptives, pills or injectable hormones during the period set by the gynecologist.
Also, such drugs are prescribed to patients who have undergone polypectomy or curettage to normalize their hormonal levels.
Surgical removal
In cases of detection of a build-up on the wall of the cervical canal, surgery is recommended - polypectomy. It is carried out under the control of a hysteroscope, thanks to which the doctor sees the entire course of the operation on the monitor and has the ability to remove the polyp without damaging nearby tissues.
Polypectomy is the most effective therapy.
In cases of reappearance of the pathology, the patients are sent for curettage of the uterine cavity under general anesthesia. Manipulation is performed mechanically with special instruments, which allows you to remove the endometrial layer with all existing tumors.
Since the root cause of the development of the disease is almost impossible to establish, and, therefore, to eliminate, to exclude subsequent relapses, it is important to be regularly observed by a gynecologist after curettage.
In the presence of tumors that have degenerated into malignant neoplasms, removal of the uterus is recommended. If metastases are found in the appendages and in the vagina, they are also removed.
Contraindications to removal of polyps
Surgical removal of cervical polyps is contraindicated in the presence of the following diseases:
- active inflammatory processes occurring in the pelvic organs (candidiasis, chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, etc.);
- sexually transmitted infections.
In these cases, the underlying disease is first treated, and then the growths are removed.
During pregnancy, surgical removal of neoplasms of the cervix, if they do not bleed, is usually not performed
Polyps discovered during pregnancy are also not recommended to be promptly removed if they do not bleed and do not bother the patient. They have no effect on the course of pregnancy and in most cases they resolve without any intervention on their own after childbirth, when the hormonal background is restored.
Potential consequences and complications
Late detection of the formation, late initiation of therapy or the wrong approach to treatment can lead to complications such as:
- infertility;
- violation of the outflow of the contents of the uterine cavity;
- degeneration of polyps into malignant tumors;
- profuse bleeding;
- aggravation of the course of the existing inflammatory and infectious pathologies of the pelvic organs.
Prevention
Prevention measures for primary or recurrent polyps are:
- regular preventive examination by a gynecologist (at least once a year);
- timely detection and therapy of infectious and inflammatory processes of the pelvic organs;
- control of hormonal levels and its timely drug correction.
Within a month after the operation, in order to avoid complications, a woman should pay special attention to intimate hygiene, exclude douching, overheating of the body, lifting weights, physical activity and sexual intercourse.
Video
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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
