Culture from the cervical canal during pregnancy

Prevention of various infectious pathologies during pregnancy is a very important task. Any infections that occur during this special period of a woman's life can endanger the life of her baby. One of the studies that allow for such prevention is bacterial culture from the cervical canal.

What it is?

Maintaining the health of the cervical canal is very important during pregnancy. This organ is a kind of communication between the uterus, where the baby develops, and the outside world.

Disease-causing microbes, of which there are a great many in the surrounding world, can get into the cervical canal and lead to the development of inflammation in it. The inflammatory process spreads rather quickly, which can lead to rather dangerous pathologies for the baby developing in the mother's tummy.

The integrity of the mucous membranes of the cervical canal is very important. Any injuries or cracks can make it easier for germs to enter. Chronic vaginitis, cervical erosion and other diseases of the genital organs can become a real threat for the infection of the baby during its intrauterine development.

The dimensions of the cervical canal in pregnant women are somewhat different. This is largely due to the altered hormonal background. The length of this organ during pregnancy is 3.5-4 cm.

The pharynx is a kind of border of the uterus from the outside world. According to the degree of its closeness, doctors determine the readiness for childbirth. During almost the entire pregnancy, it should be closed. The tone of the throat is a very important indicator of women's health. If it closes well enough, then the woman can become pregnant.

In this area, a woman develops a specific formation, which is formed only during the period of bearing a baby. It is called a mucous plug. Her discharge and the outflow of amniotic fluid are signs of an imminent birth of a child.

Doctors can assess the condition of the cervical canal using extended medical examination... To do this, they use special medical instruments and mirrors.

During the examination, the doctor can take biomaterial for bacterial culture. This study is very informative in identifying various infections that could appear in the cervical canal.

After sampling the biomaterial, it is poisoned for research in the laboratory. The resulting cells will be "sown" by laboratory assistants on nutrient media. This will reveal the possible growth of microbes present in the biomaterial.

This method of conducting this study determines its duration. On average, the readiness of the analysis results is 5-7 days from the date of its delivery to the laboratory.

Why is it carried out?

Bacteriological research not only allows you to identify the growth of pathogenic microflora, but also to determine the sensitivity of microbes to the effects of various antibacterial drugs. This helps doctors prescribe more effective treatment and choose an adequate therapy tactics.

During the study, it is also possible to determine the concentration of beneficial microorganisms that can live in the cervical canal. In this case, the concentration of bifidobacilli and lactobacilli is assessed.

It is important to note that absolutely everyone is not assigned this study... At the first visit to the antenatal clinic due to pregnancy, the gynecologist will take a swab from the woman's vagina.

If the number of leukocytes in it is increased, then in this case, the doctor will additionally take biomaterial from the cervical canal for bacterial seeding.

A large accumulation of leukocyte cells in a smear may be due to inflammation in the female genital organs.

Safety of the fetus

Some mothers are wary of the purpose of this study. They are frightened by the very method of performing this analysis. In order to obtain a biomaterial for research, the doctor uses a special probe. It is inserted into the cervical canal, usually to a depth of 1.5 cm.

The expectant mother is afraid of the possibility of spontaneous miscarriage or injury to the baby during the collection of biomaterial. Such fear is in vain. The baby is located much higher than the place where the doctor takes the biomaterial. The risk of any injury or the risk of miscarriage after such a fence is negligible.

Obstetricians-gynecologists always say that this type of examination does not pose any threat or harm to either the mother or her baby.

How to prepare?

Before carrying out the procedure, the necessary preparation should be carried out. It includes compliance with several recommendations:

on the eve of sampling biomaterial, expectant mothers are not allowed to douche;
in agreement with the gynecologist, antibacterial agents should be excluded a few days before this procedure;
the day before the study, sexual intercourse is contraindicated;
between the transvaginal ultrasound and the sampling of the biomaterial, at least 3-5 days must pass;
a few hours before the procedure, you should not wash yourself (especially with the use of special means for intimate hygiene).

Standards

Normal analysis indicators include only the presence of beneficial microflora. It consists of bifido - and lactobacilli. They can be present in the assay at any concentration.

A decrease in performance in this case is an unfavorable sign, indicating a violation of local immunity.

A normal result assumes the presence of a small amount of E. coli. But its concentration should not exceed 10 * 2 degrees of colonies. There should not be any fungal flora in a normal bacterial culture from the cervical canal.

The appearance of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, enterococci, streptococci in the analysis is an indication for the mandatory appointment of treatment. In this case, doctors also determine the cause that caused the appearance of these pathogenic microbes in the cervical canal.

If the level of these microbes in the analysis is increased, then this can not only become a threat to the development of pathologies of the female genital organs, but it can also lead to the development of pneumonia or other diseases of internal organs in an infected woman.

Interpretation of analysis results

The severity of the violations that have arisen can be different. If more than 100 pathogenic colonies of microbes are found in the analysis, then this is a clinical sign of an active acute inflammatory process. A variety of reasons can lead to the development of this pathological condition - from a banal violation of personal hygiene rules to dangerous sexually transmitted infections.

Doctors distinguish several degrees of "cleanliness" of the cervix and cervical canal, respectively. The most optimal is the first. It is characterized by the fact that there is no active growth of pathogenic microbes on solid nutrient media.

Second degree of purity implies the appearance of such colonies. They can be detected on solid nutrient media. This degree is characterized by the appearance of bacterial colonies of less than 10 units (CFU).

Third degree more unfavorable. In this case, doctors detect from 10 to hundreds of CFU in the studied biomaterial. Obtaining such a result is a significant reason for monitoring a woman in the future for the development of inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs.

The most unfavorable is the fourth degree. It is at this stage that doctors talk about the presence of an acute inflammatory process, which requires the appointment of therapy. In this case, the colonial growth of pathogenic bacteria exceeds 100 CFU.

The appearance of such a result is an indispensable reason for a more thorough diagnosis and development of tactics for the treatment of the inflammatory process that has arisen in the cervical canal.

Bacterial culture usually confirms that a woman has an infection in the genitals. In order to cure her, the doctor will prescribe antibacterial drugs to the expectant mother. The choice of medication is made individually.

In this case, the patient's weight, her age, gestational age, the sensitivity of microbes to the effects of antibiotics (according to the result of bacterial culture), as well as the presence of concomitant diseases of internal organs, are taken into account.

When choosing antibacterial drugs, doctors give preference to drugs that are quite effective in relation to pathogenic microflora, but are not able to negatively affect the fetus.

Antibiotics in the form of suppositories are often chosen. Such local treatment can achieve a good therapeutic result, but does not lead to the development of systemic undesirable side effects.