Patient Basics: Cervicitis

Cervicitis means an inflamed cervix, the lower, narrow end of the uterus that opens into the vagina. It’s most often caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea. Many people have no symptoms, so it’s often found during a routine exam or STI test. Treatment is usually simple, and getting it early helps prevent problems with future fertility.

Key points

• Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common known causes.
• Possible signs are unusual discharge, bleeding after sex or between periods, and pain during sex.
• A swab or urine test checks for infections.
• Antibiotics cure infections that cause cervicitis. Sex partners need testing and treatment too.
• Untreated infection can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes and affect fertility.

What causes cervicitis

Infections

• Chlamydia and gonorrhea, the most common causes
• Trichomoniasis, an infection caused by a tiny parasite
• Mycoplasma genitalium, a less well known bacterial STI
• Genital herpes

Bacterial vaginosis, an imbalance of the normal bacteria in the vagina, often happens at the same time and can keep inflammation going.

Other causes

• Irritation or allergy from spermicides, douches, latex or feminine hygiene products
• A device in the vagina, such as a pessary, diaphragm or forgotten tampon
• Radiation treatment to the pelvis
• Hormone changes

In many cases, no cause is found.

The risk of infection-related cervicitis is higher if you are under 25, have a new partner or more than one partner, have a partner with other partners, don’t use condoms, or have had an STI before.

Cervicitis symptoms

Many people have no symptoms at all. When they happen, they can include:

• Vaginal discharge that is yellow, gray or cloudy, or more than usual
• Bleeding or spotting after sex, or between periods
• Pain during sex
• Burning when you urinate, or needing to go often
• A feeling of pressure or ache in the pelvis

Fever, belly pain or pain in the lower back can mean the infection has spread to the uterus and tubes. This is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and it needs prompt treatment.

How it’s diagnosed

Your doctor or nurse will ask about your symptoms and sexual history. These questions are routine and private. During a pelvic exam, they look at the cervix with a speculum. A cervix with cervicitis may look red and swollen, bleed easily when touched, or have discharge coming from it.

Tests may include:

• A swab of the vagina or cervix, or a urine sample, to test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium
• A look at the discharge under a microscope to check for bacterial vaginosis or yeast
• Blood tests for HIV and syphilis, which are often offered at the same visit
• A pregnancy test

Many clinics let you collect the vaginal swab yourself.

Treatment

If an STI is likely, your doctor may start antibiotics at the visit, before results come back. This prevents the infection from spreading while you wait. The usual treatment covers chlamydia, often with doxycycline pills for a week. A single antibiotic shot is added if gonorrhea is possible. Treatment may change once test results are known.

• Take every dose, even if you feel better.
• Avoid sex until 7 days after you finish treatment, your symptoms are gone, and your partners have been treated.
• Tell your sex partners from the last 2 months so they can be tested and treated. In many states, your doctor can give you medicine or a prescription to pass on to your partner.
• Get tested again in about 3 months, because repeat infections are common.

If an irritating product or device is the cause, stopping or removing it often clears the problem. Cervicitis that doesn’t respond to treatment may need more tests, and sometimes a gynecologist’s care.

If you are pregnant, tell your doctor. Some antibiotics, including doxycycline, aren’t used in pregnancy, so you’ll get a safe alternative. Treating the infection also protects the baby.

Lowering your risk

• Use condoms every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex.
• Get tested for STIs regularly. U.S. guidelines advise a yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea test for sexually active women under 25, and for older women with a new partner or more than one partner.
• Talk with partners about testing before having sex.
• Skip douching and scented products in the vagina.

When to see a doctor

• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Bleeding after sex or between periods
• Pain during sex
• A partner tells you they have an STI
• Symptoms that don’t clear up after treatment

Get care the same day if you have fever, belly or pelvic pain, or vomiting, or if you are pregnant and have bleeding or pain.

Common questions about cervicitis

Is cervicitis an STD?

Not always, but it’s often caused by one. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections are the most common known causes. Cervicitis can also come from irritating products, a device in the vagina or radiation. When an STI is the cause, your partners need testing and treatment too.

Can cervicitis go away on its own?

Cervicitis from an irritating product often clears once you stop using it. Cervicitis from an infection usually needs antibiotics. Without them, the infection can spread quietly to the uterus and tubes, even when symptoms fade, so get tested rather than waiting.

How long does cervicitis take to heal?

Most people feel better within a few days of starting antibiotics, and a typical course lasts about a week. Wait 7 days after finishing, and until your partners are treated, before having sex. A repeat test in about 3 months checks that the infection hasn’t come back.

Can cervicitis cause infertility?

Cervicitis that is treated early doesn’t affect fertility. Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes (pelvic inflammatory disease). The scarring this leaves can make it harder to get pregnant and raises the risk of a pregnancy outside the uterus.

Questions to ask your doctor

• What is causing my cervicitis?
• Which STIs did you test me for?
• How should I tell my partner, and can they get treatment through me?
• When can I have sex again?
• When should I be tested again?

Learn more

• Cervicitis (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine)

This guide is general information and doesn’t replace advice from your own doctor. Last updated October 2026.