A nabothian cyst is a mucus-filled cyst on the surface of the cervix

Cervix

The cervix is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall...

. They are most often caused when stratified squamous epithelium

Stratified squamous epithelium

A stratified squamous epithelium consists of squamous epithelial cells arranged in layers upon a basement membrane. Only one layer is in contact with the basement membrane; the other layers adhere to one another to maintain structural integrity...

 of the ectocervix (toward the vagina) grows over the simple columnar epithelium

Simple columnar epithelium

A simple columnar epithelium is a columnar epithelium that is uni-layered. In humans, a simple columnar epithelium lines most organs of the digestive tract including the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine...

 of the endocervix (toward the uterus). This tissue growth can block the cervical crypts (subdermal pockets usually 2-10 mm in diameter), trapping cervical mucus inside the crypts. The transformation of tissue types is called metaplasia

Metaplasia

Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one differentiated cell type with another mature differentiated cell type. The change from one type of cell to another may generally be a part of normal maturation process or caused by some sort of abnormal stimulus...

.

Presentation

Nabothian cysts appear most often as firm bumps on the cervix's surface. A woman may notice the cyst when inserting a diaphragm

Diaphragm (contraceptive)

The diaphragm is a cervical barrier type of birth control. It is a soft latex or silicone dome with a spring molded into the rim. The spring creates a seal against the walls of the vagina.-Use:...

 or cervical cap

Cervical cap

The cervical cap is a form of barrier contraception. A cervical cap fits over the cervix and blocks sperm from entering the uterus through the external orifice of the uterus, called the os.-Terminology:...

, or when doing the cervix check as part of fertility awareness

Fertility awareness

Fertility awareness refers to a set of practices used to determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Fertility awareness methods may be used to avoid pregnancy, to achieve pregnancy, or as a way to monitor gynecological health....

. A health care provider

Health care provider

A health care provider is an individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities....

 may notice the cysts during a pelvic exam.

Prognosis, treatment, and associated conditions

Nabothian cysts are considered harmless and usually disappear on their own, although some will persist indefinitely. Some women notice they appear and disappear in relation to their menstrual cycle

Menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....

. If a woman is not sure the anomaly she has found on her cervix is a nabothian cyst, a visit to a doctor is recommended to rule out other conditions.

Rarely, nabothian cysts have a correlation with chronic cervicitis, an inflammatory infection of the cervix.

Nabothian cysts are not considered problematic unless they grow very large and present secondary symptoms. A physician

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 may wish to perform a colposcopy

Colposcopy

Colposcopy is a medical diagnostic procedure to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination...

 or biopsy

Biopsy

A biopsy is a medical test involving sampling of cells or tissues for examination. It is the medical removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...

 on a nabothian cyst to check for cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 or other problems. Two methods for removing these cysts include electrocautery and cryofreezing, although new cysts may form after the procedure.

Eponym

Nabothian cysts are also known as nabothian follicles, mucinous retention cysts, or epithelial inclusion cysts. They are named after German anatomist Martin Naboth (1675-1721), who wrote about them in a 1707 treatise titled De sterilitate mulierum. However, they were earlier described by French surgeon

Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

Guillaume Desnoues (1650-1735). Since it is a derived term, nabothian is not spelled with a capital first letter.

External links

• Histology at ttuhsc.edu