Symptoms of cervical dysplasia

Cervical dysplasia is one of the most insidious gynecological pathologies that can provoke the development of cancer. Only timely diagnostics and well-chosen treatment can prevent oncology and give the patient a chance to recover. However, in neglected forms, the likelihood of developing uterine cancer is much greater. It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of "dysplasia" and "erosion", since in the first variant it is a question of structural disturbances in the structure of the mucous neck, and in the second, violations of its integrity.

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia in most cases appear only in advanced stages. Women may have bloody discharge from the vagina, painful sensations in the lower abdomen, including during sexual intercourse. To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to undergo a gynecological examination using instrumental, laboratory and clinical research.

If we talk about the causes of dysplasia, then among the most common can be identified:

• infection of the body with papillomavirus;
• Smoking (several times increases the risk of developing the disease);
• improper diet and constant stress, leading to serious malfunctions in the reproductive system.

The very concept of "dysplasia" means structural changes in the mucous membrane of the cervix as a result of various destructive processes, which leads to a precancerous state. The course of the disease is aggravated by viral diseases, as well as bacteria and microorganisms.

[1], [2], [3]

First signs

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia are usually meager, so a woman may not suspect a serious pathology. Despite a different origin, dysplasia is always accompanied by changes in the epithelium at the cellular level. This disease does not have an independent clinic and is often masked for other gynecological diseases (eg, erosion). Therefore, pathology can be detected only during a preventive examination and with the help of additional studies (SMEAR analysis). The initial form of the disease is practically asymptomatic.

The first signs of dysplasia are associated with the following manifestations:

• pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen;
• burning and itching in the genital area (especially worse with sexual contact);
• vaginal discharge with an admixture of blood;
• abundant leucorrhoea (most often milk-white color) without unpleasant odor;
• contact bleeding (after sexual contact, gynecological examination or syringing).

Often the symptoms of dysplasia are manifested when attaching to the pathological process of secondary infection (cervicitis, colpitis).

To prevent the development of the disease, it is important to remember the need for regular examination at the gynecologist - at least 2 times a year. The choice of methods of therapy will depend on the age of the woman, the importance of maintaining her reproductive system. If this pathology is not treated, the process will progress, and after a while dysplasia will grow into the III (severe) stage, followed by the development of squamous cell carcinoma.

[4], [5],

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of 1 degree

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia usually appear at the last (III) stage of development of pathology, when the entire epithelium of the mucous neck occurs. Unfortunately, at the initial stage the disease does not manifest itself, and many women do not even suspect that they have a serious health problem.

Symptoms of dysplasia of the cervix of the 1st degree can manifest themselves against the background of inflammatory processes or gynecological infections. In this case, there may be a painful sensation in the lower abdomen, abundant leucorrhoea, discomfort. A mild degree is characterized by a lesion of only 1/3 of the thickness of the epithelium. In this case, not expressed changes in the structure of epithelial cells of the basal layer are noted. Signs of defeat of papillomavirus infection are coilocytosis and dyskeratosis.

With the timely detection of dysplasia at the initial stage of development, in most cases (more than 70%) it is possible to achieve positive results in treatment. However, therapy should be continuous (about 5 years), with constant monitoring and gynecological examination of a woman. Removal of HPV from the body in the vast majority of cases (57%) leads to complete recovery. According to statistics, only 1% of women with grade I dysplasia go into more severe stages (CIN 2, CIN 3).

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of the 2nd degree

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of moderate degree (CIN 2) are more pronounced, most often in the form of pulling pain in the lower abdomen, painful sexual contacts, profuse vaginal discharge (in some cases - with blood veins), sensations of itching and burning in the genital area especially when joining infections). At this stage of the development of the disease, more pronounced changes are observed in the structure of epithelial cells, affecting half the thickness of the epithelial layer. In the study, a large number of altered cells are detected (2/3 of the entire thickness of the mucous neck).

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of the 2nd degree indicate a danger of the disease, because untimely diagnosis and absence of treatment can lead to a transition to the last - the third stage, followed by the development of cancer. According to different medical studies, approximately in every 5th woman, the 2nd stage of dysplasia passes into the third. An important factor in effective treatment is the removal of papillomavirus from the body, which gives a positive result in more than 40% of cases.

It should be noted that in modern medicine, instead of the usual term "dysplasia", the term "cervical intraepithelial neoplasia" is used more often, which indicates the formation of new cellular elements in the cervical epithelium, which are not native to this tissue. Treatment of CIN of 2-3 degrees consists in the use of surgical methods: cauterization, cryodestruction (freezing), radio wave or laser treatment, excision (conization). Therapeutic tactics also include the dynamic observation of the patient's condition up to 2 years from the date of diagnosis, the annual delivery of tests for cytology, regular colposcopy, correction of violations by the endocrine system.

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of the third degree

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia of a severe degree are most pronounced due to pronounced structural changes (the appearance of pathological mitoses, huge hyperchromic cell nuclei). Modified cells occupy almost the entire thickness of the mucous membrane of the neck. Only in half the cases of dysplasia of the third degree disappears on its own, in other cases it passes into cancer.

Symptoms of dysplasia of the cervix of the third degree are expressed in prolonged pains of a pulling character in the lower abdomen, bloody discharge from the vagina, abundant whites (often with an unpleasant smell), soreness in the genitals with sexual contacts, gynecological examination, etc. In many cases, pathologies are joined by infections and inflammatory processes that aggravate the patient's condition, leading to an acute course of the disease. In detecting grade 3 dysplasia, the patient is assigned surgical treatment, the method of which is selected depending on the degree of severity, individual features of the constitution, and the results of the patient's examination. Most often - moxibustion or freezing (cryodestruction), as well as diathermocoagulation, laser therapy, conization or scalpel amputation of the cervix. Thanks to these methods of treatment, it is possible to preserve the childbearing function, and only with a particularly severe course of the disease, extirpation, i.e., can be used. Uterus removal.

Complications of cervical dysplasia

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia indicate pathological changes in the mucous membrane of the cervix at the cellular level. It can be a burning sensation, itching, stitching or drawing pain in the lower abdomen. The degree of development of dysplasia depends on the percentage of risk of cervical cancer. Timely detection of the problem and the use of effective methods of treatment in the early stages reduces the risk of a malignant tumor. The degree of dysplasia is established based on the results of histological examination.

Complications of cervical dysplasia after the application of the surgical method of treatment (cryodestruction, cauterization, laser excision, etc.) are caused by aching pain in the lower abdomen, bleeding, profuse vaginal discharge, and a sharp increase in temperature. In such cases, the patient should immediately consult a doctor.

More serious complications of surgical intervention are:

• scar scarification of the cervix;
• disorders in the menstrual cycle;
• occurrence of relapses of the disease;
• exacerbation of inflammatory diseases of female genital organs;
• infertility.

With proper surgical manipulation by an experienced specialist, complications usually do not arise. A woman is recommended to abstain from sexual intercourse for 4-6 weeks, restrict physical activity, refuse to use tampons, douching, taking baths, going to the bath, pool or sauna.

Contraindications to the use of surgical methods of treatment are:

• presence of sexual infections;
• pregnancy;
• adenocarcinoma;
• inflammatory processes in the female organs.

Pregnant women are prescribed colposcopy with targeted biopsy. The births pass by themselves, to caesarean section resorted only in the case of obstetric evidence.

Symptoms of cervical dysplasia completely go away after successful treatment and no longer bother the woman if she has followed all the doctor's recommendations. 2-3 months after the treatment, a control colposcopy is performed, as well as a cytological examination of the smear. Timely detection of dysplasia and the use of effective methods of treatment are the main measures for the prevention of malignant neoplasms.

[6], [7], [8], [9]