Cervical Ectropion - What is the role of Cervical Ectropion?

Presence of endocervical glandular epithelium on the cervix surface.

The narrow passage through the cervix is lined with glandular cells that secrete mucus, while the outer part of the cervix is usually lined with a different, flat type of lining cell. Sometimes the glandular cells grow down and appear on the outer surface of the cervix to form a red, velvet-like area called a cervical erosion. This term is misleading however, nothing is really being eroded and the condition is entirely normal.

A more accurate term is a cervical ectropion.

In teens it is common because the glandular epithelium has not fully receded under the chronic acidity of the vaginal fluids after menses start. In women whose mothers were exposed to diethylstilbesterol (DES) in utero, the glandular tissue stays on the outside of the cervix and even sometimes over onto the vagina as a developmental birth defect.

If you looked at a pink and shiny cervix under the microscope, you would see that it is covered with flat cells. The cells in an area of ectropion are different. They are taller – known as columnar (because each one looks like a tiny column) – and more transparent. Because they are transparent, blood shows through, which gives the red appearance.