Cervical Injury Treatment

Cervical injury treatment in women depends on the extent of the injury and the cause of the injury. Women who believe that their cervix has been injured should immediately seek the advice of a physician.

Assessment of the Injury

• If a woman has experienced a cervical injury, a physician will need to closely examine the cervix to assess the level of the injury. A pelvic exam, physical exam, colposcopy and additional tests on blood and vaginal discharge may all be performed.

  A pelvic exam will indicate if the cervix is inflamed and swollen. A colposcopy is a procedure used to magnify and illuminate the cervix so the physician can gain a close-up view of any injuries that have occurred to the cervical tissues. Blood tests, vaginal discharge examinations and physical examinations may indicate bacterial, fungal or viral infections that have caused the cervical injury.

Surgical Treatments

• Surgical treatments used to help repair the cervix include cryosurgery, electrocauterization, laser therapy and cone biopsy. These treatments are all used to remove abnormal tissues that are causing cervical injury.

  Cryosurgery freezes and kills the abnormal tissues, electrocauterization destroys the tissues through electricity (this procedure is also used if cervical injury has resulted in uncontrollable bleeding), laser therapy uses the energy from light to burn damaged tissue, and cone biopsy surgically removes the tissues. All of these treatments are usually performed under general anesthesia.

  Severe cervical trauma that causes tearing of the cervical tissues may require suturing to repair the cervix. This procedure may be performed using a local or general anesthesia depending on the extent of the damage.

Medications

• When cervical injury is caused by bacterial, fungal or viral infections, medications will be prescribed to treat these conditions. The medications may either be inserted vaginally or taken orally. The length of time the medication must be used depends but is normally between 2 and 4 weeks.

Watch and Wait

• Sometimes light cervical injury does not require surgery or medications to heal; instead, rest and abstaining from sexual intercourse are the only treatments recommended. In these cases, physicians may opt for a watch-and-wait treatment plan in which the cervix is monitored through pelvic exams and colposcopy procedures.