What should I do if I find cervical polyps after pregnancy? Don’t panic, listen to what the doctor says

Recently, a pregnant woman with recurrent vaginal bleeding came to the night clinic of the Department of Gynecology of Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine . After a complete gynecological examination, the doctor found a polyp-like growth the size of a soybean on the cervix of the pregnant woman.

Pregnant mothers are particularly worried: "I have had vaginal bleeding for such a long time since I became pregnant, and I have also grown polyps. Will this affect the health of the fetus? What should I do?"

Facing the doubts of pregnant mothers, the doctors of TCM gynecology clinic will answer them. There are many reasons for vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, including poor quality of the embryo itself, poor intrauterine environment, endocrine abnormalities, abnormal coagulation function, reproductive tract infection, etc. Cervical polyps are one of the common reasons.

1. What are cervical polyps?

Cervical polyps are localized proliferation of the glands and stroma of the cervical canal, which protrude toward the external os of the cervix. They are one of the common gynecological diseases in women of childbearing age, with an incidence rate as high as 5.1%.

Patients are often diagnosed with abnormal vaginal bleeding, increased yellow or bloody vaginal discharge, and some patients have no obvious symptoms and are only diagnosed during routine gynecological examinations. The pathogenesis is still unclear, but it may be related to chronic vaginal inflammation, sex hormones, HPV infection, sexual life, and childbirth.

2. Will I have miscarriage if cervical polyps are found during pregnancy?

Most cervical polyps during pregnancy have no obvious symptoms and no significant effect on pregnancy. A small number of cases may experience irregular vaginal bleeding and discharge, which may increase the risk of infection and lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, premature rupture of membranes, and premature birth. However, cervical polyps are not related to fetal development.

3. What should I do if I find cervical polyps after pregnancy?

The specialist will evaluate the patient's symptoms, gestational age and the size of the polyps to develop the most reasonable treatment plan for the patient. TCM gynecology has rich clinical experience in pregnancy complications and can escort you.

For pregnant women without obvious symptoms such as vaginal bleeding or discharge, routine cervical cancer screening, inflammatory tests such as mycoplasma, chlamydia, and gonococci are performed. If the results are abnormal, targeted treatment is performed; if they are normal, observation is sufficient.

For patients with symptoms such as recurrent vaginal bleeding and discharge and large polyps, conservative treatment can be used until 12 weeks of pregnancy, and surgery can be considered as appropriate.

The study found that the premature birth rate of the non-surgical group of pregnant women with cervical polyps was 13.8%, while the premature birth rate of the surgical group was 4.8%, so surgical treatment can reduce the risk of premature birth to a certain extent. However, surgical treatment of cervical polyps during pregnancy requires full evaluation before surgery, proper and gentle operation during surgery, and appropriate fetal preservation and infection prevention after surgery to fully ensure the safety of pregnant mothers and fetuses.

Friendly reminder: It is recommended that all ladies undergo routine gynecological examinations before pregnancy to detect cervical polyps in a timely manner, and perform individualized pre-pregnancy diagnosis and treatment based on the size of the polyps, whether there is infection, whether there are symptoms of contact bleeding, etc.

References:

[1] Li Ruojing. Analysis of pregnancy outcomes and influencing factors in pregnant women with cervical polyps[D]. Supervisor: Niu Jumin. Dalian Medical University, 2023.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Huang Yuying and Wang Nansu, Department of Gynecology, Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

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(Edited by YT)