Nabothian cyst

What it means

The cervix, the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina, is lined with tiny glands that make mucus. From time to time, a flap of surface tissue grows over the opening of one of these glands, so the mucus it keeps producing has nowhere to drain. The gland fills up and balloons into a small, smooth, fluid-filled sac just under the surface of the cervix. That sac is a nabothian cyst, named after the German anatomist who first described it.

Why it appears on a CT or MRI report

Nabothian cysts are found constantly during pelvic ultrasound and gynecologic exams, and they also turn up as incidental findings on CT or MRI scans of the pelvis ordered for something else entirely, such as back pain, kidney stones, or bladder symptoms. Reports typically note the size (usually a few millimeters, occasionally over a centimeter), whether there is one or several, and confirm that the cyst has the smooth, simple, fluid-filled appearance that marks it as benign. Because the cervix sits at the crossroads of the pelvis, these cysts are picked up almost by accident on scans aimed at nearby organs.

What it usually means

A nabothian cyst is one of the most reassuring findings a report can contain. They are extremely common, showing up in a large share of women who have gone through childbirth or cervical inflammation at some point, and they carry no link to cancer or infertility. Most are single, small, and stay exactly the same size for years, though occasionally several cluster together and give the cervix a slightly bumpy, cobblestone look on imaging. They form as a normal consequence of the cervix's surface renewing itself, a process called squamous metaplasia, which happens naturally over a lifetime and speeds up after pregnancy or minor cervical injury. A nabothian cyst does not affect periods, fertility, or the ability to carry a pregnancy.

When to follow up

In almost every case, a nabothian cyst needs no follow-up beyond mentioning it at your next routine gynecologic visit. Your doctor may take a quick look with a speculum to confirm the appearance matches what imaging described, but treatment is essentially never needed. Rarely, a cyst grows large enough to distort the shape of the cervix or make it harder to see during a pap smear, in which case a doctor might drain or remove it as a simple in-office procedure. Bring up new pelvic pain, unusual bleeding, or discharge with your doctor, but understand these symptoms are far more likely to have a different cause than the cyst itself.

A plain-language way to picture it

Picture a tiny drinking straw poking through the skin of an orange, quietly leaking juice to the surface. If a thin patch of orange peel grows over the opening of that straw, the juice keeps being made but can no longer escape, so it collects into a small, round bubble just under the peel. That harmless bubble is exactly what a nabothian cyst is: a gland that is still doing its normal job, just briefly covered over, with nowhere for its fluid to go but into a tidy little pocket.