Cervicitis Brown Health Services Patient Education Series

What is cervicitis? How is it diagnosed?

Cervicitis is a general term describing inflammation Your provider performs a pelvic exam and swabs of the cervix. The cervix is the portion of the uterus the cervical or vaginal discharge to determine what that opens into the vagina. organism is causing the inflammation.

How does it occur? How is it treated?

● Infections by bacteria or viruses Treatment for cervicitis is usually very successful. ● Often transmitted by sexual contact ● Requires that you take a course of ● including bacterial vaginosis, trichomonas, prescription medication gonorrhea, chlamydia, ureaplasma, ● Take all of the medication you are given, mycoplasma and herpes even if the symptoms start to go away ● frequent douching may also be associated before the medicine is gone with cervicitis ● If you stop taking the medicine, you may ● if left untreated, infection may ascend into leave some of the infection in your body the reproductive tract to infect the uterus ● See your medical provider again for a and/or fallopian tubes, and result in pelvic follow- up visit to insure that the treatment inflammatory disease (PID) was effective. ● PID is a serious condition which can damage

reproductive organs and possibly lead to If you are sexually active, and your cervicitis is due infertility to an STI, it is very important that any sexual ​ partner(s) within the past 60 days be treated as What are the symptoms? well. Even if you are treated and a sexual partner is Cervicitis may produce no symptoms at all and may not, you may become reinfected if the partner still go undetected until your medical provider discovers has the infection. During treatment, it is important the inflammation during a routine pelvic exam. to abstain from intercourse or any exchange of Symptoms of cervicitis include: genital fluids. If your treatment is a single dose, ● abnormal vaginal discharge then you should abstain from sex for the seven days ● discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen, following. If given a longer course of antibiotics, you including after sexual intercourse and partner(s), should abstain throughout the ● bleeding or spotting from the vagina after course of treatment. Untreated male partners can intercourse or between menstrual periods develop infections in the urethra, testicles and/or

prostate gland. Use of condoms and dental dams is

advised for the best STI protection.

Brown Health Services Patient Education Series: Cervicitis www.brown.edu/health 401-863-3953 ​ (last updated 3/20)