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Cervical Dysplasia- Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

By on September 1, 2021

Cervical dysplasia is a condition that causes healthy cervical cells to grow abnormally on the lining of the cervix. Surprisingly the abnormal cells are not cancerous, but without any medication or treatment that can turn into cancer. This condition is common enough to affect around 250,000 to 1 million women aged 25-35 just in the United States. Although since the launch of the HPV vaccine, the disease graph has reduced by 60% in the US.

What Causes Cervical Dysplasia?

The disease mainly arises from the virus called human papillomavirus. The sexually transmitted virus can even cause genital warts. The high-risk virus can be extreme and turn into cancer. However, it is also a fact that most people having the virus never get to developing cancer. This simply means a lot of factors play a role here, like lifestyle, environment, and food choices.

Symptoms Of Cervical Dysplasia

Sadly, symptoms of early-stage cervical cancer are not visible. Just when it gets a little intense to an advanced level, women can see symptoms of Cervical Dysplasia like-

  • Bloody or watery vagina discharge with a foul odor
  • Vaginal bleeding after menopause or any other regular day
  • Vaginal bleeding after intercourse
  • Pain during intercourse

Treatment Of Cervical Dysplasia

There is no 100% effective Cervical Dysplasia treatment, however, the symptoms and severity can still be reduced. The treatment to reduce the severity also depends on the patient’s age and how extreme the symptoms are.

For patients with mild cervical dysplasia, monitoring continuously with a repeat Pap test is essential. But in the case of an older woman with the same condition, you don’t need to initiate treatment early. Not until it has been two years with cervical dysplasia.

There are usually two procedures for the treatment of cervical dysplasia-

  • LEEP– LEEP stands for the term Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure. This technique uses electricity to eliminate the affected tissues.
  • Cone biopsy- In this treatment method, a cone shaped piece of the cervix is removed at the region of the abnormal tissue.

Other standard treatment of cervical dysplasia are

  • Laser Surgery
  • Electrocauterization
  • Cryosurgery

Treatments are strictly associated with risks like heavy bleeding. It can also lead to complications after pregnancy. Doctors need to discuss with their patients the risks before initiating treatment. The patient must maintain the follow-up testing after the treatment, including the repeat pap test in 6 months or HPV DNA test.

Prevention Of Cervical Dysplasia

As there is no particular proven cause of this disease, one cannot prevent it. However, women can follow some tips so that they reduce the risk of cervical dysplasia.

  • Reducing high-risk sexual behaviors that lead to HPV infection is a great start.
  • It’s best to avoid multiple sexual partners and early sexual initiation.
  • Sexually active women should make sure to use protection the right way during a sexual encounter. Other habits to be avoided are smoking and intake of excessive alcohol.

Conclusion:

Cervical dysplasia can be lethal for women in extreme cases! The treatments are not very relevant however make it easy to live a happy life!

Even some vaccines are out for women to prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer. Women should be vaccinated before becoming sexually active to prevent maximum chances of cancer.

References:

Yaamini Radhakrishnan
Yaamini Radhakrishnan:I am a clinic research professional, graduate in biotechnology and post graduate in biochemistry. Have also pursued freelance writing since the past 5 years I am married and have a daughter. I am a native and reside at Bangalore.
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