Definition

Servicitis is an inflammatory condition of the cervix or cervix. The inflammation that occurs can be caused by irritation, infection or wounds, especially in the cell layer Columnar epithelium the cervix.

Inflammation of the cervix can appear suddenly or last a long time. Both conditions are generally caused by different things. Cervicitis is a disease that is often found and usually associated with a sexually transmitted infection. It is estimated that more than half of adult women will experience cervicitis at one point in their lives. The incidence of cervicitis can recur in about 8-25% of women.

If you are interested in reading more in depth about sexually transmitted infections, you can read it here: Sexually Transmitted Infections - Definition, Causes and Risk Factors.

Cause

The causes of servitilis are divided into two, namely due to infection and non-infectious causes.

Infection

Infection is the most common cause of cervicitis in a person. There are several infectious agents that can cause cervicitis, namely bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites that can be seen below:

• Bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, is one of the germs that most often causes cervicitis.
• Bacteria Neisseria gonorrhea
• Virus Herpes simplex
• Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis
• Bacteria Mycoplasma genitalium
• The occurrence of excessive normal bacterial growth in the vagina

Non-Infectious

Meanwhile, causes other than infection that can cause inflammation of the cervix are:

• Allergic reactions to certain chemicals or a product. Latex materials from condoms and vaginal cleaning products can be one of the causes of allergies.
• Irritants to chemicals such as soap and spermicides (chemicals that kill sperm).
• There is an injury that causes a lesion on the cervix, such as the installation of a device on the uterus or after undergoing an operation.
• Systemic inflammatory disease is also associated with the occurrence of inflammation in the cervix.
• The imbalance of low estrogen hormones and high progesterone hormones disrupts the body's ability to maintain the health of the cervical tissue.
• Radiation therapy can cause changes in the cervical lining.

Risk Factors

There are several groups of individuals who have a higher risk of experiencing servitilis, namely:

• Having sex with more than 1 partner.
• Sexual behaviors that are at high risk of experiencing sexually transmitted infections.
• Having sex at an early age.
• Sexual partners are suspected of having a sexually transmitted infection and do not use condoms during intercourse.
• Have a history of previous sexually transmitted infections.

Symptoms

Most women do not experience symptoms and signs when they have cervicitis. Usually a person is found to have cervicitis when they have a routine examination of the vagina or uterus. If symptoms occur, there are several complaints that can be experienced by sufferers of cervicitis, including:

• The presence of mucus/fluid coming out of the vagina can be blood, mucus/fluid of yellow, green or gray color. The amount varies from a little to a lot.
• Pain when urinating or increased urination frequency.
• Pain during sexual intercourse.
• Bleeding after having sex.
• There is blood coming out of the vagina outside the menstrual period.
• Itching or irritation in the vaginal area.
• There is an unpleasant odor in the genital area.
• It can also experience abdominal or back pain to fever, but these symptoms are rare.
• Pain in the lower back or genitals.
• Full or depressed sensation in the lower abdominal area

Diagnosis

If the doctor suspects a disease related to the reproductive organs, the doctor will interview and examine you. First, the doctor will ask about the symptoms and complaints you are experiencing as mentioned above. Because it is related to the reproductive organs, the following questions can also be asked:

• Sexual behavior
• Genital hygiene
• Use of contraceptives
• Pregnancy history
• History of previous infectious and servicitis

Then, the doctor will perform a physical examination, especially on the lower abdomen, waist, genitals and uterus.

If necessary, to help establish the diagnosis and rule out the possibility of complaints caused by other diseases, the doctor will also recommend a vaginal and cervical swab test. Fluid/mucus from the genitals or cervix will be taken using a swab. This examination aims to find out the exact cause of cervicitis by analyzing the sample of fluid/mucus through a microscope.

Procedure

The implementation of servicitis includes therapy with drugs and non-pharmacological treatment. However, before obtaining therapy, it is necessary to determine the cause of servicitis first, whether it is caused by infection or not.

The administration of drugs in the case of infection will depend on the cause of the infection. Antibiotics are given if cervicitis is caused by bacteria. Antibiotics should be finished to prevent bacterial resistance to treatment. Antibiotic therapy can also be given based on the doctor's policy, recommended especially in women who are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections.

The drugs given can be oral drugs or injectable drugs depending on the severity of the servicitis experienced. Hormonal therapy can also be given if servicitis is caused by hormonal imbalances that often occur in patients with menopause.

The treatment of cervicitis aims to overcome and prevent the occurrence of complications, especially in conditions caused by infection. It is hoped that the infection will not spread to other reproductive organs which will make the disease more severe. The success of a treatment is also supported by compliance in taking medication, the recommendation that sexual partners also undergo treatment, not having sexual intercourse until treatment is completed and declared cured. 

Furthermore, the doctor will re-evaluate the success of the treatment undergone. Generally, cervicitis can heal within 1-2 weeks with proper treatment.

You can read the article on menopause here: Menopause - Definition, Causes and Risk Factors.

Complications

The cervix is a part of the uterus and protects the uterus from various causes of infection such as bacteria, viruses or fungi. Infections that attack the cervix can spread to the uterus, the uterine canal and even to the pelvic cavity.

One of the serious complications that can occur from servicitis is inflammation of the pelvic cavity or also known as PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Diseasee). Pelvic cavity infections cause inflammation and scarring of some reproductive organs such as the ovaries (egg sacs) and fallopian tubes (the tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus).

Furthermore, this condition will cause residual symptoms such as:

• The formation of a pocket containing pus (abscess) in the pelvic cavity or ovary.
• Infection or pain that lasts a long time.
• Ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus).
• Infertility problems.

Therefore, if you experience the complaints mentioned above, you should do the maximum treatment until you are declared cured to prevent complications.

Prevention

You can reduce the risk of developing servitilis by taking some preventive steps such as the following:

• Use condoms to prevent transmission of infection.
• Being faithful to a partner and not having sexual intercourse with more than 1 partner.
• If you have a sexually transmitted infection, you should immediately seek treatment and invite your partner to seek treatment as well.
• Not having sexual intercourse with a partner who has complaints such as discharge from the genitals.
• Avoid using a vaginal cleaning liquid product because it can cause irritation to the vagina and cervix.
• Avoid putting certain objects or tools in the vagina for too long, such as tampons.

When should you see a doctor?

If you have complaints of fluid or blood coming out of the vagina accompanied by pain, and are at risk of sexually transmitted infections, you should see a doctor. You can consult a gynecologist to get further treatment.

Want to know information about other diseases? Check it out here, yes!