What causes cervical polyps?

A polyp forms when tissue from the cervix or cervical canal grows outward. Irritation or long-standing inflammation may encourage this overgrowth, but finding a polyp does not reveal one definite trigger.

Cervical polyps are usually non-cancerous growths attached to the cervix. They are sometimes discovered during cervical screening or a pelvic examination when no symptoms are present. Because a polyp contains delicate blood vessels, it can present with bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, or vaginal discharge.

A clinician distinguishes a cervical polyp from growths arising inside the uterus and from other cervical changes by examining its location and appearance. Tissue removed from a polyp may be sent to a laboratory to confirm what it is.

Book an examination if you have unexpected bleeding or persistent unusual discharge. The clinician may inspect the cervix with a speculum, check whether cervical screening is due, and assess whether the bleeding could come from the cervix, vagina, or uterus.

A small accessible polyp can often be removed during a clinic visit, especially when it causes symptoms. A larger polyp, one with a broad or unseen base, or one thought to arise higher in the cervical canal may need specialist assessment and a different removal technique.

Contact a clinician promptly for bleeding after menopause, recurrent bleeding after sex, bleeding between periods, or discharge with an unpleasant smell. These symptoms deserve assessment because several conditions can cause them; the symptoms alone cannot identify a cervical polyp.

Get urgent help if bleeding is heavy, you feel faint or weak, pelvic pain becomes severe, or fever accompanies pain or foul-smelling discharge. During pregnancy, report vaginal bleeding to your maternity team so they can advise the right level of care.

You might ask whether the growth is clearly coming from the cervix, whether removal is advisable, and how it would be performed. Also ask whether the tissue will be examined, when to expect the result, what bleeding or discharge is expected afterward, and whether any further investigation is needed if symptoms continue.