The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, the place where a baby grows during pregnancy. The cervix has a small opening that expands during childbirth. It also allows menstrual blood to leave a woman’s body and a baby to pass from the womb (uterus) into the vagina. The cervical canal also allows sperm to pass from the vagina into the uterus.
Our doctors or staff may perform a Pap test during your health checkup to look for changes to the cells of the cervix, including cervical cancer. Other problems with the cervix include:
- Cervicitis: inflammation of the cervix
- Cervical incompetence: widening of the cervical opening during pregnancy long before the baby is due
- Cervical polyps and cysts: abnormal growths on the cervix
- Abnormal Pap Smear
- Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)
- Cervical pregnancy
- Cervical conization
- Cervical dysplasia
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms, but can be detected with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
HPV is primarily spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, but sexual intercourse is not required for infection to occur. HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact. Sexual contact with an infected partner, regardless of the sex of the partner, is the most common way the virus is spread. Like many other sexually transmitted diseases, there often are no signs or symptoms of genital HPV infection.
If the Pap test finds serious changes in the cells of the cervix, the doctor will suggest more powerful tests such as a colposcopy. A colposcopy is a way of looking at the cervix through a special magnifying device called a colposcope. It shines a light into the vagina and onto the cervix. A colposcope can greatly enlarge the normal view. This exam allows the health care provider to find problems that cannot be seen by the eye alone.
Corrective Procedures or Surgeries
Colposcopy for abnormal pap smears
LEEP Procedure — Test for abnormal cell growth
Helpful Links
- Pap Test Fact Sheet
- HPV
- HPV Test
- HPV Vaccination (video with Dr. Leaman)
- Gardasil HPV Vaccine
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
