Colposcopy (kol-POS-kuh-pee) is a procedure to closely examine your cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease. During colposcopy, your doctor uses a special instrument called a colposcope. Your doctor may recommend colposcopy if your Pap test result is abnormal. A colposcopy is nearly pain-free. You might feel pressure when the speculum goes in. It might also sting or burn a little when they wash your cervix with the vinegar-like solution. If you get a biopsy, you might have some discomfort. After a colposcopy, you may have dark vaginal discharge for up to three days, and some bleeding for up to a week. Your vagina may be sore, and you may experience mild cramping for 1 to 2 days. … If you had a biopsy, avoid the use of tampons, douches, vaginal creams, and vaginal intercourse for a week. A colposcopy is used to find cancerous cells or abnormal cells that can become cancerous in the cervix, vagina, or vulva. These abnormal cells are sometimes called “precancerous tissue.”
A colposcopy also looks for other health conditions, such as genital warts or noncancerous growths called polyps.After a colposcopy, your doctor or nurse will often be able to tell you what they’ve found straight away. If they take a biopsy (remove a small sample of tissue to be examined in a laboratory), you may need to wait up to 4 to 8 weeks to receive your result by post.
