Symptom of Cervical Dysplasia

It may be very difficult to recognize a symptom of cervical dysplasia. Usually cervical dysplasia, which is described as a precancerous condition of cervical tissue, does not have visible signs. Women may not know that they have cervical dysplasia as this condition is localized on the cervix, i.e. in the vaginal cavity. The diagnosis of cervical dysplasia may require special diagnostic procedures which are performed at the doctor's office. In order to detect cervical dysplasia women should regularly have pelvic exams.

Cervical dysplasia is diagnosed if there have been detected pathological transformations in the cells of the cervix. This condition develops in the epithelium of the cervix. The detection of a symptom of cervical dysplasia will necessarily require microscopic examination of cervical cells or cervical tissues. The most commonly used procedures for this purpose are Pap test, colposcopic examination and biopsy.

Pap test is intended to evaluate shape, size and number of cells scrapped from the cervical surface and cervical canal. The cells are taken from the cervix, stained according to special technique and analyzed in the laboratory. It is possible to detect a symptom of cervical dysplasia through Pap test, but this procedure does not always provide all necessary information about the condition of the cervix to make an accurate diagnosis. For this reason, women with an abnormal result of Pap smear should undergo colposcopic examination.

Normally, colposcopic examination is prescribed if Pap test result indicates a symptom of cervical dysplasia. It is a diagnostic procedure to examine the cervical tissue and vaginal walls through a special microscope. The doctor may apply on the suspected areas vinegar solution to improve visualization of dysplastic lesions in the cervical tissue.

If colposcopy confirms the presence of dysplasia it may be also necessary to perform a histological analysis of the cervical tissue. This analysis is realized through the procedure called biopsy. A small piece of cervical tissue is taken and evaluated by pathologist. In addition to visual, cytological and histological examinations, women with a symptom of cervical dysplasia frequently need to undergo testing for human papillomavirus, because this virus is the main cause of cervical malignancies.