Association of Sexually Transmitted Diseases With Cervical Ectopy: A Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to review the available literature to explore evidence indicating an association between cervical ectopy and sexually transmitted diseases, which could help in the decision to treat or not to treat this condition.

A review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE and clinicaltrials.gov databases on ectopy of the cervix using the terms "ectopy OR ectropium AND cervix" filtered only by language, without limit of date. A total of 71 studies were found in the initial selection, of which 56 were deleted by title, abstract, or full text. The remaining 15 articles were analyzed in this study.

Cervical ectopy showed a positive association with human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, bacterial vaginosis, cervical epithelial atypia, postcoital bleeding, and desquamative inflammatory vaginitis. High-quality studies reported no association between ectopy and chlamydia infection. It was also not associated with gonococcal infection and herpes simplex.

Cervical ectopy shows a probable association with increased acquisition of some sexually transmitted diseases. Additional studies are required to confirm the possible beneficial effects of treatment and to evaluate the possible complications of these treatments.