Medical Diseases List

Cervicitis - Symptom, Causes, Treatment of Cervicitis

Cervicitis is an inflammation of the cervix (neck of the uterus) which may be acute or chronic. Acute cervicitis causes increased vaginal discharge, which may be yellow, smelly and blood-streaked. There will be lower abdominal pain, and pain (and often bleeding) with sex. Most acute cervicitis is caused by sexually transmitted bacteria. Swabs must be taken to identify the cause so that the right antibi, otics can be used. Occasionally the cervix is chronically inflamed although no infection can be identified.

Chronic & mucopurulent Cervicitis

Chronic cervicitis can cause increased vaginal discharge and spotting after sex or vaginal examination because the inflamed cervix is easily injured by anything that bumps or scrapes it, such as a penis, speculum or Pap smear spatula. The woman may have trouble becoming pregnant, probably because the inflammation can change cervical mucus and makeit unsuitable for sperm to penetrate.

Signs and symptoms

Most often, cervicitis causes no signs and symptoms, and you may learn you have the condition as a result of a Pap test or a biopsy for another condition. If you do have signs and symptoms, they may include:

Vaginal discharge that's grayish or yellow, possibly with an odor
Frequent, painful urination
Pain during intercourse
Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between menstrual periods or after menopause

Treatment of Cervicitis

Treatment of Cervicitis by diathermy or laser, either of which can bum away inflamed tissue, may be I recommended to speed up healing and relieve the symptoms. If the cervicitis is considered to be bacterial, it is usually treated with an antibiotic (such as Doxycycline). If the cause is the herpes virus, there is no cure, but the course can be shortened with Zovirax (acyclovir). If the cause is bacterial, male partners are usually also treated with the antibiotic to prevent re-infection, though they will usually not have symptoms. It is sometimes recommended to avoid sexual intercourse until both partners have completed treatment.

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