Osmosis video - Sexually transmitted infections: Vaginitis and cervicitis: Pathology review

Vaginitis and cervicitis are two conditions that can affect the female reproductive tract. Vaginitis refers to inflammation of the vagina, while cervicitis refers to inflammation of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Symptoms of vaginitis may include itching, burning, discharge, and pain or discomfort during intercourse or urination.

Common causes of vaginitis and cervicitis include infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. Both chlamydia and gonorrhea infections can progress to pelvic inflammatory disease, which presents with lower abdominal pain that worsens with movement, and tubo-ovarian abscesses, which all might complicate into an ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome.