Benign Lesions and Physiologic Changes in the Cervix

The uterine cervix undergoes physiological changes throughout a woman’s lifetime and during pregnancy. It forms the passageway to the uterine cavity and the entry point for ascending infections. A variety of metaplastic, inflammatory, infectious and reactive conditions can affect the cervix. These changes may be entirely physiologic or part of normal variant anatomy, or reactive in nature. Knowledge of these changes will help pathologists avoid confusion with malignant entities.