There are many illnesses that happen only to women. One of these illnesses is cervical stenosis. Cervical stenosis is a gynecologic disorder of a woman’s reproductive system, a condition where the duct of the cervix is narrow or closed. One unfortunate effect of this condition is that a woman can never be pregnant. Another effect is that blood and pus may fill the uterus.

Know the Causes of Cervical Stenosis

Some women are born with Cervical stenosis, while in others it is developed or triggered by a procedure or a condition. The conditions and procedures that trigger cervical stenosis are the following:

Menopause

Cervical or endometrial cancer

Surgery to remove possible malignant growths in the cervix

Endometrial ablation or procedure to remove the lining of the uterus due to continuous bleeding.

Radiation therapy in order to treat cervical or endometrial cancer

Know the Effects of Cervical Stenosis

• Cervical stenosis may cause endometriosis. This can happen to menstruating women because the passageway of the cervix is narrow or closed making the menstrual blood mixed with cells flow backward and towards the pelvis.

• In women with cervical or endometrial cancer, pus will accumulate in the uterus because it cannot flow towards the opening of the vagina.

• Cervical stenosis may also result in hematometra, a term used to describe the gathering of blood in the uterus.

• Emotional stress is another effect of cervical stenosis in women who may feel inadequate because they cannot bear children.

Know the Symptoms of Cervical Stenosis

• Menstruating women who are suffering from cervical stenosis may experience dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation. They may also have abnormal bleeding or they may not have menstruation, a condition called amenorrhea.

• Women who are already in the menopause period may unknowingly have cervical stenosis because there may not be any symptoms.

• The accumulation of blood or pus in the uterus almost always causes pain. A woman with cervical stenosis may also feel a lump in the pelvic area.

Know How Cervical Stenosis is Diagnosed

A doctor may perform a gynecologic examination and recommend tests like the Papanilaou or pap test, cervical cytology, and endometrial biopsy. A pap test requires obtaining a sample material from the cervix of the woman. The endometrial biopsy, on the other hand, takes sample tissues from the lining of the uterus. Another way to confirm diagnosis is to obtain images of the cervix or take tissue samples and examine them under a microscope.

Know How Cervical Stenosis is Treated

If women who have cervical stenosis feel no symptoms, treatment may not be necessary. However, if symptoms like hematomtra or pyometra appear, treatment is necessary. Doctors will aim to widen the narrow or closed ducts of the cervix by inserting an instrument through its opening. The instruments are lubricated metal rods called dilators. Small dilators may be placed first, and then increasingly larger dilators are inserted. In order to maintain the opening of the cervical passageway, doctors may put in a cervical stent or tubes for several weeks.