Nabothian cysts are small cysts that form on the surface of your cervix. The cervix connects your uterus to your vagina, also known as the cervical canal. These cysts are filled with mucus that gets secreted by the cervical glands. Sometimes the tiny bumps are called mucinous retention cysts, cervical cysts, or epithelial cysts. Nabothian cysts are really common and don’t pose a threat to your health.

Causes of nabothian cysts
The mucus-producing glands in your cervix are coated with skin cells and when they get clogged, nabothian cysts form. When the skin cells plug the glands, it causes mucus to accumulate. Which leads to cysts forming on your cervix which look like small white bumps.

Physical trauma to the cervix and childbirth are the leading causes of nabothian cysts in women. During childbirth, additional skin cells grow on the mucus gland, which trap the mucus and cause cysts to form. Whenever you experience physical trauma around the cervix are, it can cause excess tissue to develop on top of mucus glands from the healing process. That may trap the mucus and cause cysts to appear.

Risk factors for nabothian cysts
The most common time for women to develop cysts is when their pregnant or of childbearing age. Your childbearing age begins at puberty and ends at onset of menopause, which is around the age of 40 - 50.

For those that have a condition called adenoma malignum are also at a risk to develop similar cysts. The condition is a type of neoplasia which affects the production of mucus in your cervix. If you think your nabothian cysts are caused by this condition rather than other causes, talk to your doctor to get screened for adenoma malignum.

Symptoms of nabothian cysts
Nabothian cysts can vary in size from a few millimeters to 4 centimeters in diameter. The can appear yellow or white in color and smooth in texture. Your doctor may notice them during a routine pelvic exam. They don’t cause any discomfort, pain, or other symptoms, so they are usually found by doctors when examining your cervix for other problems.

Treatment for nabothian cysts
Nabothian cysts don’t usually require and treatment since they are benign. In very rare cases, the cysts may become large to the point of distorting the size and shape of your cervix. Also, very large cysts can make routine cervical exams very difficult or impossible to perform. In such cases, your doctor may remove the cyst in order to examine your cervix.

Outlook
Your doctor likely won’t recommend removal or treatment if you don’t have any symptoms. Once you’re diagnosed with cysts, it’s important to maintain regular visits to your gynecologist to make sure that any nabothian cysts don’t grow to a size that might cause problems. If your cysts are large or cause discomfort, pain, or discharge, your doctor will probably recommend to treat or remove them. In some rare cases, your cysts might be an indication of a more serious condition, which will require further diagnosis and treatment.

Cysts removal takes less than a day and has a fast recovery period. Currently there are no known ways to prevent nabothian cysts. But they are usually harmless and very small with no health threats. So if they don’t prevent you from living a normal life, there’s no need to worry about them.

Author's Bio: 

I am Amelia Grant, journalist, and blogger. I think that information is a great force that is able to change people’s lives for the better. That is why I feel a strong intention to share useful and important things about health self-care, wellness and other advice that may be helpful for people. Being an enthusiast of a healthy lifestyle that keeps improving my life, I wish the same for everyone.

Our attention to ourselves, to our daily routine and habits, is very important. Things that may seem insignificant, are pieces of a big puzzle called life. I want to encourage people to be more attentive to their well-being, improve every little item of it and become healthier, happier, stronger. All of us deserve that. And I really hope that my work helps to make the world better.