Hi ladies
So happy to be here and able to exchange experiences. I really wanted to hear some thoughts from anyone that has experienced persistent cervical ectropion. I've had one for the past 4 years and it has caused me consistent bleeding after sex, which can then linger as a dark red / brown scanty type of discharge.
Would love to hear from anyone else who experienced similar pesky symptoms and what procedure did you have / what worked for you. Curious to know whether long term this relieved all the symptoms of bleeding too or if it returned. Everytime I've seen a medical professional the odds of actual relief from symptoms seems inconclusive so I'm just interested to hear about your strategies.
Thanks :)
Emma x
Hi Emma!
First off, sorry to hear you've been dealing with this for so long :(
I have also had ectropian for around a year and a half. When it first got diagnosed, I did have to make a big fuss to get taken seriously.
My bleeding was pretty bad- just after sex at first and then after a few experiences, it stayed and I was bleeding everyday like you have- dark brown spotting almost?
When I went to the GP, they did an examination, saw ectropian and tried to tell me it was just a side effect of the pill and it would go away/wasn't harmful and i could just keep having sex but by that point it was affecting me a lot mentally so I had a big cry and they agreed to refer me 'if I was really worrying about it'.
I also stopped taking the pill after this appointment as they said that could be one of the triggers (despite telling me to keep taking it). At that point I would have tried anything to stop bleeding!
I went to my first referral and the doctor was lovely. They examined me and said they could see areas of ectropian and I had a cauterisation of those areas (chemical burning/sealing of the cells that were causing the bleeding). It was a 5-10 min procedure and didn't really hurt during, but I got quite bad cramps afterwards and had to take a day off work.
After this, it took about 4-6 weeks of healing. You have weird blue discharge/bleeding as all the chemicals from the cauterisation come out and its very strange!! I got no aftercare advice from my doctor but they advise to avoid tampons and baths on other info pages I've read to minimise any risk of infection for the 4 weeks after the treatment.
Then, my bleeding went away! I was so happy and I could finally have sex and enjoy it??? A revelation.
6 months later I decided I was ready to try a pill as I had been advised that I could go back on one, as long as it had a low hormone level as this would be less likely to affect my cervix.
I got the pills from the doctor and honestly I avoided taking them for so long because I was still scarred from my first experience. But my boyfriend and mum were really supportive and I was excited to have the control that pills give you again so I thought, why not, whats the worst that can happen??
Well, the worst did happen- less than a month later my ectropian came back. (And the pill had made me so emotional that I was really struggling mentally a lot more this time).
Long story short, I made a big scene at my GP again, got referred again and got cauterised again (this time by a slightly less nice doctor, but we won't talk about that!)
That procedure was in November of last year. And after 4 weeks and into Jan I have still had spotting after sex. As soon as I saw the blood I called the doctor right away and this time they referred me immediately. (Think I kicked up enough of a racket the last 2 times! I know it might seem dramatic, but I find it difficult to make them take bleeding/ womens health seriously sometimes and im glad I did)
So anyway thats where I am now! Waiting for my 3rd referral and potential cauterisation.
My bleeding and symptoms are soooo much better than when I first had ectropian, but they haven't gone away completely so I can't give you a finite answer on how to help BUT
My main advice would be
1. Stop taking the pill! (If you're on it) its just not worth it! (In my opinion anyway, I'll always been a condom girl from now on)
2. Try and get referred to a coloscopy unit and see if they will cauterise the areas of ectropian
3. Dont take no for an answer! Ectropian has honestly affected my mental health so much and I struggled so much with the idea of sex for a long time (and still do!) Don't go on for any longer just waiting for something to go away on its own!
Any qus you have just ask! Sorry for the long ramble, but it feels really good to finally talk about my experience and relate to other people who are going through the same thing.
My doctor at the time told me it was 'common' but I hadn't met anyone else who openly talked about having ectropian until following queens of eve a few months ago.
Good luck gal and I really hope you can get this sorted soon!
Best wishes to your cervix xxx
Gee
Hey Gee
Aw thanks so much for your thoughtful reply! I instantly don't feel alone!
Yes, it's exactly that...dark brown spotting...which has a whole other effect in terms of intimacy and relaxation. I mean, who wants sex when they're just obsessing over the days of spotting to be endured for the days after...
Thing is, I went on the pill twice, one was minipill one was combined, then ectropion didn't occur until a year after I stopped. Not been on pill since but the consultant said some women are just born with the ectropion so maybe I'm one of the lucky ones!
It's good to know that the cauterisation helped relieve symptoms...I have a routine smear this week so think it's the opportunity for me to enquire about having it done.
Even minimal symptoms would be a huge difference for me I think. Mine seems to flare up sometimes so it's not consistent but just hate the not knowing and always expecting something to crop up!
Really pleased unloading this has helped you too - honestly I had no knowledge of ectropions prior to all this...similarly none of my friends ever mentioned or ever talked about this stuff. And we are pretty open! Just feels so awful to constantly have to consider the cervix!
Thanks so much for opening up, really appreciate it, sending love ❤️
Im glad I could make you feel even a little less alone!
Oh definitely, its not something that makes you feel sexy in any shape or form 😂 the mental burden of just thinking about the days bleeding after sex is often enough to put me off!
Hope your smear goes well and you have a good talk about your options with cauterisation etc. :) thinking of you and hope you find something that helps!