What is cervical erosion found at my six week postnatal check?
A. An erosion is a very common cause of an inflamed red cervix. This is a common condition in which the cells that are usually present inside the cervical canal extend out onto the outside of the cervix. It is not a dangerous condition, and in many women it is causes no symptoms whatsoever. Sometimes an erosion causes a heavy discharge or erratic bleeding and in these cases treatment may be appropriate. Treatment usually consists of cauterisation. If this is the cause of your cervix appearing red and inflamed, it is likely to gradually settle, and provided that your smear is reported as normal, nothing will need to be done apart from having it reviewed. It is worth saying that if there was blood around when your smear was done, the laboratory may not feel able to interpret the slide and they may ask for a repeat smear. Other common causes of a red inflamed-looking smear would be infection (usually accompanied by discharge and discomfort) or inflammation (usually secondary to infection)
