“Celiac disease is not a disease

  ”Celiac disease has existed for hundreds of years and has plagued many women. When they go for a physical examination, almost nine times out of ten they are diagnosed with cervical erosion and spend a lot of energy and money on treatment with little success.       In the latest edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the term “cervical erosion” has been replaced by “cervical columnar epithelial ectasia”, which is not considered a pathological change, but one of the physiological changes of the cervix. Before puberty, when the ovarian function is not perfect and estrogen is low, the columnar epithelium is more on the inner side, after menstruation, the columnar epithelium will develop more on the outer side under the influence of estrogen, so there will be more columnar epithelium like “celiac disease” in the cervical opening examination. After menopause, women’s estrogen levels drop and the columnar epithelium begins to retreat inward again, at which point the “vesicles” are invisible. So, essentially, what is called cervical erosion is actually an ectropion of the columnar epithelium. If the clinical cervical examination (combined TCT + HPV screening) does not reveal any abnormalities and there are no symptoms of discomfort, the patient does not need to be treated, even if there are ulcer-like symptoms at the cervix. However, if it is accompanied by abnormal leucorrhea, such as yellowing and odor, it is better to do further examination, which may be cervical inflammation and requires early intervention. Especially if the leucorrhea is significantly increased and yellowish for a long time, it is important to receive early treatment to prevent the inflammation from getting worse. Usually the use of suppositories is sufficient, or herbal cervical topical medication. If this is not effective, various treatments such as freezing, laser and microwave can be considered.         Regular examination of the cervix is necessary, not to prevent cervical erosion, but to prevent cervical cancer. The occurrence of cervical cancer is related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Some patients with high-risk HPV infection are prone to precancerous lesions and cervical cancer when the infection persists in the squamocolumnar junction area of the cervix. Cervical cancer has seen a substantial decrease in mortality since the availability of cervical cytology, and the key is early prevention and treatment.       Currently, it is recommended that women after the age of 21 should have a cervical smear once a year, and after the age of 30, they can have a combined HPV test. If three consecutive HPV and cervical smear tests are negative, the interval can be extended to once every three years, and screening can be stopped after the age of 65.