Unusual Case of Cervical Tissue Penetration by a Wool-Like Foreign Body Inserted for Male Child Conception

Retention of a foreign body in the vagina can occur intentionally or unintentionally. This condition can lead to a variety of clinical symptoms. We present a case involving a 39-year-old multiparous woman with an obstetric history comprising four pregnancies, three term vaginal deliveries and one spontaneous miscarriage, who was hospitalized on January 17, 2024, for acute management of profuse vaginal discharge and pyrexia secondary to the intravaginal retention of a wool-like foreign body. Clinical examination revealed a woolen foreign body in the cervix, inserted 4 years earlier as a traditional method to influence fetal sex. Pelvic ultrasound showed a spongy mass (50 × 30 mm) in the vaginal canal. Vaginoscopy and hysteroscopy performed under general anesthesia facilitated the identification and extraction of a 50 × 50 mm malodorous, wool-like foreign body embedded 5 mm within the cervical stroma. Biopsies confirmed a foreign body reaction with acute and chronic inflammation, reactive epithelial changes, and keratin-like fibers infiltrating the cervical stroma. Intraoperative assessment revealed no extension to the uterine cavity or urinary bladder. The patient was administered a 72-h course of empirical antibiotic therapy, achieved complete clinical resolution, and was subsequently discharged with recommendations for ambulatory follow-up. The retention of a foreign body within the vaginal vault may engender a spectrum of clinical manifestations and sequelae, contingent upon the nature of the foreign material and the duration of its persistence. Prolonged indwelling of such objects can precipitate histopathologic alterations in contiguous tissues, potentially mandating surgical extirpation and serial surveillance evaluations.