Cervicitis

Cervicitis is inflammation of your cervix due to infection or other irritants. When the tissue of your cervix is inflamed, it becomes swollen and may bleed more easily. It can cause symptoms like a pus-like vaginal discharge, irregular vaginal bleeding or pain during sex. Some people don’t experience any symptoms at all. Most cases of cervicitis happen due to a bacterial infection, but you can get it anytime something irritates your cervix.

Keeping tabs on what’s normal for vaginal health may feel weird. But it’s important because it helps you notice when something is unusual. Since cervicitis is a common condition, healthcare providers can usually identify it easily during an examination. And because cervicitis may not give you symptoms, seeing your provider regularly for exams (even when you think nothing is wrong) is important.

Types of cervicitis

Cervicitis can be acute or chronic:

• Acute cervicitis starts suddenly. Sexually transmitted infection (STIs) or other infectious bacteria are the most common causes of it. Symptoms may be more noticeable. Treatment typically involves antibiotics.
• Chronic cervicitis lasts several months. Symptoms may be more mild or not noticeable at all. It’s usually not caused by STIs or infection. Rather, the causes are irritants (or allergens) in things like feminine products and latex condoms, or from leaving things like cervical caps inside your vagina too long.

How common is cervicitis?

It’s hard to say exactly how common cervicitis is, but healthcare providers know it’s very common. Some studies suggest that up to half of all people assigned female at birth (AFAB) will have cervicitis at some point in their lives.