Effectiveness of Cryotherapy for Symptomatic Cervical Ectropion at a Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND

Cervical ectropion is a common benign condition in reproductive-aged women and may present with persistent cervicitis-related symptoms that adversely affect daily functioning and sexual well-being. Cryotherapy is widely used as a minimally invasive ablative treatment; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness, particularly in relation to symptom relief, remains limited.

AIM: The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of cryotherapy in women with symptomatic cervical ectropion.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital over 18 months and included 110 women aged 25-40 years with clinically diagnosed symptomatic cervical ectropion. After detailed clinical evaluation and exclusion of premalignant or malignant lesions, all eligible participants underwent outpatient cryotherapy. Participants were followed for 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency and percentage and compared using McNemar's Chi-square test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 32.0 ± 4.3 years, with the majority in the 31-40-year age group (63.6%). Abnormal vaginal discharge was present in 92.7% of women before treatment and significantly reduced to 8.2% after cryotherapy ( P < 0.001). Pelvic pain declined from 30.0% to 0.9% ( P < 0.001), while dyspareunia, postcoital bleeding, and vulvovaginal discomfort showed complete or near-complete resolution ( P < 0.05). At 12 weeks, 91.8% of women demonstrated complete healing.

CONCLUSION

Cryotherapy is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated outpatient treatment for symptomatic cervical ectropion, offering substantial clinical and functional improvement.