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Cervix Disorders
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.
Your healthcare provider 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
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Start Here
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Understanding Cervical Changes: A Health Guide for Women(National Cancer Institute)
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Understanding Cervical Changes: A Health Guide for Women
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Latest News
- Cervical Disease Treatment Not Linked to Premature Birth Risk(08/17/2012, HealthDay)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
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Colposcopy
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Colposcopy
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Treatment
- Cervical Cryotherapy(American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) - PDF
- Cervical dysplasia - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
- Cone Biopsy(American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP)(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
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Prevention/Screening
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Pap and HPV Testing(National Cancer Institute)
- Pap Test(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
- Understanding Abnormal Pap Test Results(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
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Pap and HPV Testing
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Specific Conditions
- Cervical Dysplasia(College of American Pathologists) - PDF
- Cervical Dysplasia: Is It Cancer?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cervical Myomas(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Cervical Polyps(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Cervical Stenosis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Cervicitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Nabothian Cysts(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Pregnancy Complications: Cervical Insufficiency(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Related Issues
- Atypical Glandular Cells(American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) - PDF
- Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection in Women(American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) - PDF
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Cervical Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Cervical Dysplasia(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Cervical Diseases
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Directories
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
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Organizations
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Patient Handouts
- Cervical dysplasia
- Also available in Spanish
- Cervical polyps
- Also available in Spanish
- Cervicitis
- Also available in Spanish
- Cervix treatment - cryosurgery
- Also available in Spanish
- Endocervical gram stain
- Also available in Spanish
- Nabothian cyst
- Also available in Spanish
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Pap and HPV Testing(National Cancer Institute)
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA