Urethral polyp in women: causes, symptoms, treatment, complications
The content of the article:
- Classification
- The reasons
-
Symptoms
- Initial
- Sharp
- Diagnostics
-
Treatment
Treatment with folk methods
- Complications
- Video
A urethral polyp is a benign neoplasm located on the epithelial layer of the urethra wall. The disease is diagnosed in 4% of urological patients seeking help from a doctor.
Urethral polyp is more often diagnosed in older women
A polyp is a rounded growth on a pedicle. In women, this pathology occurs much more often than in men, due to the structural features of the genitourinary system.
The risk of developing the disease increases with age. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in women over fifty. This is facilitated by past infections, impaired blood supply to the walls of the urethra and changes in hormonal levels after menopause.
Classification
Depending on the reasons for the development of pathology, tissue structure and the number of neoplasms, they are classified as follows:
| View | Description |
| Glandular | These are nodular growths, consisting of glandular tissue, into which blood vessels grow. Most often, this type of neoplasm occurs when hormonal imbalance occurs. Polyps of this type grow very quickly and can invade the lower layers of the urethral tissue. During histological examination, cysts are also often found in patients (cavities that are filled with secretion or serous fluid) |
| Fibrous |
This type of growths consists of fairly dense connective tissues with a minimum number of blood vessels and interspersed with glandular cells. In most cases, the cause of their appearance is infectious diseases or a violation of the cellular nutrition of the urethral tissues. Usually, a single polyp is diagnosed, which grows slowly and practically does not affect the adjacent layers. Such formations very rarely degenerate into malignant tumors. |
In women, in most cases, the formation of polyps occurs on the back wall of the urethra. They often spread to the tissues of the vagina. Neoplasms can reach large sizes - up to a centimeter in diameter.
The reasons
The reasons for the proliferation of urethral polyps include:
| The reasons | Description |
| Infectious diseases of the genitourinary system (chlamydia, gonorrhea, mycoplasmosis, urethritis) | The inflammatory response leads to a decrease in local immunity and cell damage. The result is an increase in carcinogenesis and the formation of tumors. |
| Urethral injury | Formations can occur as a result of trauma to the urethra as a result of surgical operations in the genitourinary system, during abortion or difficult childbirth, as well as when stones leave the kidneys through the ureters and bladder |
| Hormonal changes | Most often, pathology develops in women during menopause, when the level of estrogen in the body decreases. People with diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism are also susceptible to the disease. |
| Genetic predisposition | Pathology can be inherited, so the risk of illness in children whose parents have neoplasms increases |
There are also provoking factors that contribute to the development of the disease. These include:
- bad habits;
- stress;
- improper nutrition;
- excessive physical activity;
- age-related changes.
Symptoms
Initial
At the initial stage of the disease, symptoms may be absent. Some women report mild discomfort when urinating or a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder. These signs resemble cystitis or urethritis, therefore, in most cases, these diseases begin to be treated.
Pathology is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms - urinary incontinence, frequent urge to urinate
Over time, the formation increases, and the symptoms appear more vividly. The main symptoms of pathology include:
- pain and burning when urinating;
- discomfort in the urethra when walking or during intercourse;
- feeling of fullness in the bladder after urinating;
- urinary incontinence: initially during sneezing, coughing or physical exertion, later, when the polyp reaches a large size, urine can leak constantly, causing the woman inconvenience;
- blood in the urine. This disorder occurs when the polyp grows into the tissue under the mucous membrane of the urethra.
If the neoplasm is not eliminated in time, the addition of a bacterial infection is possible, as a result of which:
- pyelonephritis: inflammation of the kidneys;
- cystitis: an inflammation of the bladder.
Sharp
If the build-up grows rapidly and narrows the urethral lumen, this causes acute urinary retention. Most often this problem occurs in men. This is due to anatomical features (long and narrow urethra). But in some cases, women also face this.
There are certain signs of this pathology:
- the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen, which intensifies when you press on this area;
- inability to empty the bladder, despite the strong urge to urinate;
- the appearance of anxiety: a person cannot sit in one place, moves in a bent position.
Diagnostics
A small polyp on the urethra in women is usually detected by chance at a prophylactic appointment or during examination for other diseases.
To confirm the diagnosis, you must undergo an appropriate examination
Diagnosis of neoplasms includes:
- laboratory methods: general analysis of blood and urine, sampling of biomaterial from the urethra and vagina, histology;
- ultrasound examination of the urinary system: the simplest, most painless and effective way to detect the formation, as well as the ability to assess the microstructure of the growth;
- urethrography: one of the modern methods of X-ray examination, which allows to determine the localization and size of polyps (they can be seen in the photo), as well as the diameter of the lumen of different parts of the urethra. Ascending urethrography is technically more difficult to obtain images of the female urethra than that of men.
Treatment
Surgical intervention is necessary if the polyp causes unpleasant symptoms, bleeds, or causes impaired urine flow.
Neoplasms are removed by physical destruction or surgical excision
Methods for removing build-ups:
- physical destruction. Polyps can be removed using electrocautery, laser or cryodestruction. The procedure is performed under general or local anesthesia. In this case, the formations are eliminated, precisely adhering to its boundaries and without damaging healthy tissues;
- surgical excision. This method of removal is used if the formation is large or potentially malignant. Manipulations are carried out under general anesthesia, followed by suture.
If the size of the neoplasm is small, while there are no symptoms of the disease, and also if the pathology is detected in an elderly person, removal is not carried out, limited to therapy of the inflammatory process and observation.
Treatment with folk methods
For the treatment of pathology, folk remedies are used, which, according to patients' reviews, in some cases help to get rid of the problem:
- recipe number 1: the herb of celandine is crushed and squeezed out the juice, which is mixed in the same proportion with 70% medical alcohol. The finished product is taken 20 drops three times a day half an hour before meals. Treatment is continued for a month, then a two-week break is taken and, if necessary, it is resumed;
- recipe number 2: 6 tablespoons dry without husk pumpkin seeds are ground into flour and mixed with six yolks from hard-boiled chicken eggs. At the next stage, add 500 ml of refined olive oil and put in a water bath for 20 minutes. Take one teaspoon on an empty stomach once a day. Treatment is carried out for a week, then take a break for five days. The finished medicine is stored in a tightly sealed glass container in the refrigerator;
- recipe number 3: mix 2 parts of birch buds, 3 parts of horsetail and 4 parts of bearberry. 2 tablespoons of dry raw materials are poured into 400 ml of boiling water and infused for an hour. Filter and take 100 ml 4 times a day. The duration of treatment is one month. This helps stop the growth of polyps.
Before using folk remedies for the treatment of neoplasms in the urethra, you should consult your doctor.
Complications
If the build-up is not removed in time, the following complications may develop:
- malignancy (transformation of a benign tumor into a malignant neoplasm);
- chronic cystitis, pyelonephritis, or urethritis;
- violation of the integrity of the mucous membrane of the urethra, resulting in frequent bleeding, leading to the development of iron deficiency anemia.
If signs of pathology are detected, it is necessary to contact a gynecologist or urologist.
Video
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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
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