Cervix - what is
What is Cervix
Cervix - The neck of the UTERUS, a thick cuff of muscular tissue about one inch in length that joins the VAGINA to the uterus. A narrow channel through the cervix, the cervical canal, allows menstrual material to leave and SPERM to enter the uterus. The opening of the cervix within the uterus is the internal os; the opening of the cervix within the vagina is the external os. The cervix has the ability to thin and dilate to permit CHILDBIRTH.
| HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT MAY AFFECT THE CERVIX | |
|---|---|
| CERVICAL CANCER | cervical DYSPLASIA |
| cervical erosion | CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA (CIN) |
| cervical polyps | GONORRHEA |
| CHLAMYDIA INFECTION | incompetent cervix during PREGNANCY |
| HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) infection | trauma |
For further discussion of the cervix within the context of the structures and functions of reproduction and sexuality, please see the overview section “The Reproductive System.”
See also COLPOSCOPY; DILATION AND CURETTAGE (D&C); FALLOPIAN TUBES; GENITAL TRAUMA; HYSTERECTOMY; OVARIES; PAP TEST; PELVIC EXAMINATION.
