Most often, surgical methods are used to treat erosion: cauterization of the cervix allows you to get rid of the disease and prevent the risk of future dangerous complications. If you follow the doctor’s preventive recommendations after cauterization of the cervical surface, then no problems will arise. In some cases, vaginal bleeding occurs after the procedure for various reasons. It is necessary to consult a specialist in time and begin special treatment.
What is this procedure?
Most women are wary of the cauterization procedure for erosion. After all, it’s scary both because of the pain of the operation and because of the negative consequences.
After all, there are often cases when women, who 10-20 years ago had cauterized erosion with electric current or another method, were unable to get pregnant, carry a child, or had problems during childbirth. But treating erosion with radio waves eliminates such problems. This method is very gentle and non-traumatic.
Typically, the device that performs the procedure is a pencil. This is what a woman can see.
Therefore, everything is simple: the doctor cauterizes the problem areas with this very “pencil”. Thus, only damaged parts of the mucous membrane are affected, no scars, burns or injuries.
The most unpleasant part of the procedure can be considered:
- unpleasant odor characteristic of burning hair;
- slight painful sensations (the stomach may pull or there may be a feeling of painful menstruation);
- fear of the procedure.
A huge number of women generally do not feel anything during such a procedure. There may be anxiety or rather psychological stress. To calm the woman and make the operation as safe as possible, a slight anesthesia with lidocaine is sometimes given.
Sprays are often used that are applied to the cauterization area. No painful injections into the uterus or general anesthesia - this is absolutely not necessary. In addition, in most cases it is performed on an outpatient basis. The duration of radio wave treatment is short - about a minute.
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What symptoms are present after cauterization?
Cauterization is the main method of treating erosion. The procedure violates the integrity of the mucous membranes. This is a kind of injury that will take some time to heal.
After the procedure, there is excretory ability. There may be some ichor coming out. In this case, a clear liquid is observed. A red tint is observed. The symptom is a variant of the norm. Lasts no more than two weeks.
Spotting bloody masses may be observed. This may also be normal. The amount of blood is small in volume, and the duration is 2-3 weeks.
Periodically there is a discharge reminiscent of menstruation. Abundance is small. The sign should not bother the patient. Another option is severe bleeding after the procedure. This is a dangerous sign that can result in the development of anemia. If such a symptom occurs, you should urgently call a doctor. Hospitalization may be required.
After cauterization, a woman may complain of headaches
After surgery, other signs appear. The following symptoms are considered normal:
- weakness;
- decreased performance;
- decreased protective functions;
- headache;
- apathy;
- frequent mood changes;
- paleness of the skin;
- hormonal fluctuations.
The recovery period may take several weeks. The symptoms will disappear on their own. No outside treatment is required.
Any interference with the reproductive system leads to disturbances. Most often, the menstrual cycle is significantly disrupted. Complications after the intervention are extremely rare.
After the procedure, menstrual irregularities may occur.
Actions before the procedure
If you decide that you need radio wave surgery for cauterization of erosion, you should contact a good doctor who knows this technique. He will prescribe a series of tests for you: cytology and biopsy.
A smear analysis will show whether there are inflammatory processes or infections of the genital tract. If there are any, you will undergo treatment.
And by pinching off a piece of tissue from the cervix and doing a biopsy, the doctor will make sure that there are no cancer cells and your erosion is benign.
If everything is fine with you, the tests are excellent and you are absolutely healthy (no colds or any other acute diseases), you can begin the procedure.
Sometimes the doctor asks if you are allergic to painkillers and may need allergy tests. But basically, no additional examinations are prescribed for this procedure.
Most likely, you will be recommended to eradicate erosion immediately after menstruation. Usually this is the first – third days of the beginning of the cycle. Then the cervix is soft, and there is still a long time until your period, which promotes the healing process.
Radio wave treatment of cervical erosion
Establishing diagnosis. I was diagnosed with erosion when I was 18 years old, it was scary and incomprehensible. And the more I read, the more scared and worried I became. At that moment, I clearly understood that there were two opinions.
1. Erosion must be removed before it turns into cancer. It is better, as they say, to warn.
2. Don’t touch it at all, because almost everyone has it. And in Europe it is not even considered a deviation, but simply a feature.
But my gynecologist at that time. whom I trusted and considered her a good specialist, calmed me down and said that I just need to observe its size, that unfortunately there are no removal methods that do not have negative consequences, in any case there are risks, and any interference in the natural course of events can affect negatively for health, especially for nulliparous girls.
A negative consequence of radio wave treatment is the scars that the device leaves behind. These scars are naturally not elastic and will not be able to stretch during childbirth, which will create problems of a completely different nature in the future.
At this point the issue was closed.
What prompted. But after 3 years, I started bleeding during intercourse. After going to the doctor, I went to take a series of tests, I don’t even remember which ones, something with HPV, cancer cells, all different infections and received a referral for radio wave treatment to a regular clinic.
The risks that I may encounter later no longer exceed the risks that my erosion condition could lead to.
It cost 1000 UAH + medications after 500 hryvnia, and the tests before that cost about 1000 UAH. In general, the amount turned out to be very, very unpleasant for that time.
The procedure itself. All this lasted about 15 minutes maximum. Yes, it was very unpleasant, it ached, it pulled, it burned a little, but it was tolerable. If you take away the unpleasantness of the fact that it is very intimate and psychologically difficult to do this to yourself, and objectively evaluate the unpleasantness of the pain, then it is more painful at the dentist. I speak like a sissy who always squeaks and whines. The sensations are quite tolerable.
Healing:
I don't have enough epithets to describe how I felt. Believe me, it was terrible! I was warned that there may be some discharge within a month, but there may be discharge and constant bleeding, these are two different things! I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t travel in public transport, I didn’t go to school because I had to change 2-3 large night pads per hour. Because the discharge also had a terrible smell, which was even worse than the discharge itself. It took me almost 2 hours to get to the university; by this time, by the time I got there, my things were already smelling so bad that it was embarrassing to be in society. NIGHTMARE! And all this lasted exactly a month. After 30 days (sorry for such details, but I think those who actually started reading this will be interested) I found a piece of meat on the pad. It is a piece of viscera in the blood the size of a palm (without fingers). I almost lost consciousness. This is a terrible picture, it’s scary, what is the size of that wound, if such pieces of it began to fall off... And then everything stopped. I will never forget all the details. And fortunately at that time I had a session that I was not forced to go to the university every day, but it’s hard for me to even imagine how women who at that time had work and daily responsibilities cope with this...
After 2 years:
I was examined by different doctors at different times and they all said that the cervix, ugh ugh ugh, is good, pink, there is no erosion. But there is a scar, albeit a small dot, but it remains. And all doctors notice it immediately. Nothing worries me. In addition to fear for a future pregnancy...
During the erosion, I constantly had some kind of watery discharge, I constantly felt some kind of discomfort, I constantly used panty liners. because I wouldn't be able to keep it clean any other way. I don't need this now.
Total: As you can see, it is very difficult for me to sum up any results, because now my husband and I are just starting to plan for a child. Whether it was right or wrong to use this method of treatment, only time will tell, and everyone’s situations, organisms, and doctors are different. Everything is too subjective. I set out to warn about this terrible month that I had in the healing process. I hope I will save someone from travel and plans for that period.
Consequences and sensations after surgery
Often, after radio wave treatment, no further procedures are performed. Sometimes the doctor may put a tampon with a healing and pain-relieving ointment. It should be removed after 3-4 hours. Sometimes ointments and suppositories are recommended for better healing. But all this is at the discretion of the doctor.
After cauterization with radio waves, there is less discharge than after laser or nitrogen cauterization, not to mention electric cauterization. They exist, but their quantity is still more delicate.
After cauterization with radio waves, there are practically no serious consequences. If, of course, you follow the recommendations and take care of yourself.
Usually, the doctor warns that there should be some discharge; on the first day it may be slight bleeding or discharge with clots. But all subsequent discharge is brown, yellow, and white. Sometimes blood or small veins may appear in them. This is considered normal.
Very often, after such a procedure, the discharge is abundant, watery, and odorless. They can last about a month or even two. This will depend on how well your erosion heals.
But generally the scab, which indicates that the treatment process is almost complete, disappears 4 weeks after the procedure. Doctors warn that after about 20-30 days, a red scab can be seen along with the discharge. There is no need to be afraid of this. That's how it should be.
The gynecologist warns the woman that there will be discharge. But if this is bleeding, which also does not stop for a day or two, then you need to urgently consult a doctor.
Of course, if you start bleeding during the period of your expected menstruation, do not be alarmed, you just have scheduled periods, which after treatment may have a slightly different discharge: more abundant or, conversely, small.
Types and methods of treatment
To be able to assess the risk of complications after cauterization, it is necessary to become familiar with the general concept of cervical erosion.
It is generally accepted that this is the degeneration of natural epithelium into columnar cells, morphologically different from their predecessors, but this is slightly untrue.
There are two types of erosion :
- True;
- Congenital.
True is the desquamation of the outer, protective epithelium of the cervix, followed by exposure of living tissue located under the mucous layer covering it.
The formation is not painful for the woman, since the cervix is initially devoid of pain receptors, and pain during childbirth is caused solely by contraction of the stretched muscles of the uterus.
The painless course of pathology is a real problem in its diagnosis and prevention of undesirable consequences in the form of oncology. The change can only be detected during periodic examinations using a regular gynecologist’s speculum.
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Treatment of true erosion is extremely difficult and is accompanied, for the most part, by copious spotting in the first three weeks, since there is no pathological growth, and the cauterizing device directly comes into contact with living tissues that are actively supplied with blood.
Subsequently, a crust forms, which disappears over time and a healthy epithelium forms in its place.
Congenital erosion occurs when:
- A sharp jump in hormonal levels;
- In the postpartum period;
- During pregnancy;
- With early onset of sexual activity;
- With frequent changes of partners;
- Rough sex;
- In case of damage during abortions and gynecological examinations, etc.
Its formation begins with damage; in the constantly wet environment of the cervix, healing of microcracks and wounds will occur at a slow pace; over time, the formation of a non-healing ulcer is possible, which will be called congenital erosion.
It heals, as a rule, without any complications and with a minimal amount of discharge.
Moxibustion is of four types and depends on the budget of the healthcare institution and the personal preference of the doctor:
- Exposure to liquid nitrogen (cold);
- Radio wave therapy;
- Electric currents;
- Laser.
The most common method is electric current, which is also the most traumatic, but highly effective.
Actions after the procedure
If you have had a procedure for cauterizing erosion with radio waves, you must remember that for a month you cannot lift weights, have sex, take baths, go to the pool, or swim in the sea.
It is also recommended to wash with disinfectants. Sometimes old-school doctors recommend the most common laundry soap to prevent infection and inflammation.
If you do not follow these recommendations, you can seriously harm yourself. Especially if you lift something heavy or have sex. This can lead to severe bleeding.
You cauterize erosions with radio waves - an excellent method that will appeal to everyone: those who have not given birth, those who have a low pain threshold, and those who simply do not have time for hospitals and hospitals.
This is a great way to forget about erosion, spending a minimum of effort and time. This is your method to become healthy!
