The wound on the neck ‒ cervicitis, in the popular name ‒ is an inflammation in the form of lesions on the neck. It can often go unnoticed because your body doesn't have many pain receptors on your cervix. So you might not have the faintest idea that something is wrong there.

Your doctor's diagnosis may come unexpectedly during a routine check-up, even if you have no other symptoms. And we are here to prepare you. Look at what exactly the wound on the neck consists of, what causes it, how it manifests itself and how we treat it.

What is a wound on the cervix (cervicitis)?

Cervicitis, also known as a sore on the cervix, is an inflammation of the cervix. It can go unnoticed until a gynecological check-up due to the fact that symptoms such as pain or discomfort may be absent.

There are two types of cervicitis, depending on the cause of the inflammation and how it manifests itself:

• Acute cervicitis : when it is caused by an infection and the symptoms appear suddenly and are severe.
• Chronic cervicitis : when it is caused by an irritation, and symptoms persist for several months or more.

The gynecologist notices it after the clinical examination, in the form of small lesions, swollen or red areas, with or without bleeding, at the level of the neck.

Wound on the cervix - Causes

An inflamed cervix is most often the result of a sexually transmitted infection, but it can also have non-infectious causes. Whatever the source of the problem, it is important that it is correctly identified in order to be able to choose the right treatment.

Look at what causes the wound on the neck:

• Bacterial vaginosis
• Bacteria that come into contact with the uterus: bacteria that can cause cervicitis are Staphylococcus or Streptococcus.
• Sexually transmitted infections: Chlamydia (research estimates that Chlamydia infection is the cause of cervicitis in 40% of cases), Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, Trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma genitalium infection or HPV infection, which we told you more about HERE .
• Chemical agents present in certain menstrual products: such as synthetic fibers, fragrance or other hidden ingredients in conventional pads and tampons that can irritate the cervix; you can easily prevent these situations when you choose 100% organic pH-neutral and hypoallergenic absorbent pads and tampons like those from Enroush, made without any ingredients harmful to your intimate health.
• Irritations following the insertion of certain bodies into the vagina: vaginal pessary, diaphragm, vaginal cap, etc.
• Other allergic reactions: for example to contraceptive spermicides, to vaginal douches or to latex in condoms.
• Radiotherapy (radiation therapy).
• Systemic inflammatory diseases (autoimmune diseases).

Risk factors for cervical cancer

Because the source of cervicitis can be noninfectious, such as an allergic reaction, risk factors also include vaginal douching, conventional tampons, or the diaphragm. But usually, the wound on the cervix is sexually transmitted or occurs as a result of a sexually transmitted infection, which is why the main risk factors in the case of an inflamed cervix are:

• Early onset of sex life.
• High-risk sexual behavior: for example, unprotected sexual contact or with multiple partners.

Medical history of sexually transmitted diseases: If you or your partner have suffered from a sexually transmitted infection in the past, it increases the predisposition to the sore on the cervix. If you want to talk more about this topic, I have prepared a separate article for you on the Enroush blog with everything you need to know about sexually transmitted diseases .

Wound on the cervix - Symptoms

There is no other way to know for sure that you are suffering from cervicitis, except after the clinical examination. Sometimes the inflammation is even asymptomatic, because there are not many pain receptors located there.

There are, however, some symptoms that may make you suspicious of the possibility of a neck injury, so be careful if you notice:

• Slight abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Persistent gray, yellow or white vaginal secretions, which may be accompanied by a specific, unpleasant odor (If you want to track vaginal secretions ‒ and at the same time protect your clothes ‒ we recommend using Enroush daily absorbents . They do not contain perfume , so it doesn't affect your vaginal pH and you'll be able to notice if the discharge has an unpleasant smell. They're hypoallergenic and made without any other ingredients besides 100% organic cotton to give you safe protection.)
• Purulent vaginal discharge
• Vaginal pain
• Pain during intercourse (Pain during sex is not normal and you should go to the doctor as soon as possible to find out the cause, whether it is cervicitis or something else. In another blog article I told you more about possible causes of pain during sex and what to do.)
• Bleeding outside of menstruation or after intercourse
• Sensation of pelvic pressure
• Back pain
• Irritation of the vulva or vagina
• Pain when urinating or the need to urinate frequently.

Complications regarding the wound on the cervix

Without treatment, the wound on the cervix can lead to various complications that affect your intimate and reproductive health. Basically, the role of your cervix is to prevent bacteria and viruses from coming into contact with the uterus, acting as a barrier. This role can no longer be fulfilled when the cervix is infected, which can lead to the infection spreading further into the uterus. Thus:

• Gonorrhea and Chlamydia (when they are the causes of cervicitis) can reach the lining and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Infertility or peritonitis may develop as a result of untreated pelvic inflammatory disease.
• It increases the risk of contacting other sexually transmitted infections from the partner (for example, HIV).
• It increases the risk of transmitting the infection to the partner.
• It may increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Wound on the cervix (Cervicitis) - Diagnosis

Because it can only be noticed after a physical consultation, the wound on the cervix can only be diagnosed by the gynecologist. For the most accurate diagnosis, it is possible to:

• Pelvic examination: to identify swollen, red or inflamed areas, both at the level of the cervix and on the walls of the vagina
• Vaginal discharge testing: to determine if there is any sexually transmitted infection (Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trichomoniasis) or bacterial vaginitis
• Pap test (PAP)
• Urine test

The doctor may also ask you questions about your medical history so that the diagnosis takes into account any other health problems, past or present. Below we tell you in more detail how each diagnostic method works.

The bimanual exam

It's what I was telling you earlier about the pelvic exam. Wearing gloves, the gynecologist with one hand inserts a finger into the vagina, while with the other hand he applies slight pressure to the abdomen and pelvis, noting if there is pain on palpation.

Also during the pelvic exam, the specialist can use a speculum to check the walls of the vagina at the top, bottom and sides, as well as the appearance of the cervix. This way he will be able to identify any inflamed area or affected by redness, swelling or bleeding.

Babeș Pap test

The PAP test is the main screening test for early detection of cervical or colon cancer, and is therefore recommended at regular intervals. I told you more about this in a special blog article, where you can find everything you need to know about the Babeș Pap test and why it is important for your health .

During this test, the doctor will collect a sample of cells from the cervix and vagina, and the laboratory results will confirm whether or not there is any type of abnormality.

Cervical biopsy

A cervical biopsy, or colonoscopy, is only done if the results of the PAP test show an irregularity and more investigations are needed. It is a test method in which the doctor inserts the speculum into the vagina to examine the cervix through a colposcope (a type of microscope). Thus, he will be able to collect additional samples from the cervix in the exact areas that appear affected.

Cervical secretion culture

Once the cervical secretions are collected, they will be examined under a microscope. This is how the infections that caused the sore on the cervix can be identified, starting from bacterial vaginosis and Candida infections, to sexually transmitted infections.

Treatment for the wound on the cervix

Treatment for cervicitis differs depending on the cause and healing can take up to two weeks (which is exactly why I told you at the beginning how important it is to know what caused the sore on the neck so you can heal it). Medical recommendations are usually the following:

• When the sore on the cervix is an allergic reaction to hygiene products or spermicides, often no treatment is prescribed. The irritation disappears on its own once you stop contact with the allergens (for example, if you stop using spermicides, or when you switch to 100% organic cotton absorbents).
• When cervicitis is the result of a sexually transmitted disease, it is recommended to avoid sexual contact throughout the treatment, and follow this treatment by both partners.
• Antibiotics are prescribed in most cases of infection, whether bacterial (bacterial vaginosis) or sexual (gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc.).
• If the inflammation is caused by genital herpes, antiviral drugs can be prescribed that only reduce the frequency of the symptoms of the sore on the neck (keeping in mind that genital herpes cannot be cured).
• After treatment, repeat cervicitis testing is recommended.

But before we end the topic, we also want to draw your attention to natural treatments: although they seem effective, you have no guarantee that they work. They are not based on a doctor's diagnosis or expertise, which means they can do you more harm than good if you don't correctly identify the cause or if the remedy is not appropriate.

We recommend that you always follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor following the tests, which takes into account your medical history and situation, so that you heal as quickly as possible and prevent possible complications. And if you really want to try a natural treatment, make sure you seek the advice and guidance of your doctor first, so that everything is in order.