Colposcopy

A Colposcopy is a procedure that closely examines your cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease. It's often done if cervical screening finds abnormal cells in your cervix.

Before the examination, the colposcopist (the doctor or nurse performing the colposcopy) will ask you questions about your medical history. After the consultation with the colposcopist, you will be taken to the examination area where you will be asked to undress from the waist down (a loose skirt does not need to be removed). The nurse who is looking after you and assisting the colposcopist will then help you to get into a comfortable position on the examination couch.

The colposcopy examination usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes.

During the examination an instrument called a speculum will be inserted into your vagina to hold back the vaginal walls and to show your cervix for the clinician to examine. The speculum is the same instrument that is inserted when you have a cervical cytology test. The colposcopist then uses a colposcope, which is a type of magnifying glass that allows them to look closely at the cervix. No part of the colposcope goes inside you. The colposcopist may then take another cervical cytology test.

A liquid is then applied to the cervix to show the colposcopist any abnormal looking areas.

They may then take one or two tiny samples of tissue (called biopsies) from your cervix. Some women say that the biopsy is painless, while others say that it hurts slightly and gives them crampy, period-like pains. This crampy pain often only lasts for a few minutes.

Sometimes treatment may be performed at the same time as your first colposcopy examination. This will only be done with your consent and if the colposcopist thinks it is necessary. Not everyone who comes to the colposcopy clinic following an abnormal test will need treatment. After the examination, the speculum will be taken out and you will be asked to stay on the examination couch for a few minutes. The assisting nurse will then tell you when you can get up and get dressed. Once you are dressed, you will go back to see the colposcopist who will talk to you about the examination. You will then be able to go home/back to work. If you have had treatment, it is best that you go home and rest for the remainder of the day.

If you have had samples taken (biopsies, swabs or cervical cytology tests) these are sent to the laboratory, where they will be checked. A report will then be sent back to the colposcopist and they will write to you with the results. You will be told if you need to come back for treatment.