What is leep procedure

You may want to bring a sanitary napkin to wear home after the procedure. Follow any other instructions your provider gives you to get ready. What happens during a LEEP? Generally, LEEP follows this process: You will be asked to undress completely or from the waist down and put on a hospital gown. You will be instructed to empty your bladder before the procedure.

You will lie on an exam table, with your feet and legs supported as for a pelvic exam. Your healthcare provider will insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina to spread the walls of the vagina apart to expose the cervix. Often, the healthcare provider will use a colposcope, an instrument with a special lens similar to a microscope, to magnify the tissues.

The colposcope will be placed at the opening of your vagina but does not enter your vagina. Your healthcare provider will look through the colposcope to locate any areas for treatment on the cervix or in the vagina. Photographs with the colposcope or sketches of the areas on your cervix may be made for your healthcare record.

Your cervix may be cleaned and soaked with a vinegar solution, also called acetic acid solution. This helps make the abnormal tissues turn white and become more visible. You may feel a mild burning sensation. An iodine solution is sometimes used to coat the cervix, called the Schiller test. The healthcare provider will numb the area using a small needle to inject medicine.

A type of forceps, called a tenaculum, may be used to hold the cervix steady for the procedure. You may feel some cramping when the tenaculum is applied. You may need to have more of the paste applied to the cervix to stop it. LEEP has been associated with an increased risk of future pregnancy problems.

Although most women have no problems, there is a small increase in the risk of premature births and having a low birth weight baby. In rare cases, the cervix is narrowed after the procedure. This narrowing may cause problems with menstruation. It will take a few weeks for your cervix to heal.

While your cervix heals, you should not place anything in the vagina, such as tampons or douches. You should not have intercourse. Your health care professional will tell you when it is safe to do so. After the procedure, you will need to see your health care professional for follow-up visits. You will have cervical cancer screening to be sure that all of the abnormal cells are gone and that they have not returned.

If you have another abnormal screening test result, you may need more treatment. Limit your number of sexual partners and use condoms to reduce your risk of sexually transmitted infections STIs. Electrocautery: A procedure in which an instrument works with electric current to destroy tissue. Years ago, it was performed in an operating room, and some hospitals still perform them there.

During a LEEP, the clinician numbs the cervix with a local anesthetic. Then, the clinician removes the abnormal cells using a heated wire.

The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and the patient should expect the entire visit to last no longer than an hour. Patients may feel some discomfort when the local anesthetic is applied. Patients can return to work one to two days following a LEEP, and can return to exercise soon after, depending on instructions from their care team.

Patients are advised to refrain from having sex or using tampons for four weeks after the procedure so they can fully heal. Following a LEEP, patients may experience some discomfort, cramping or bleeding, similar to a period. The tissue removed during the LEEP is sent to a pathologist for review.

If the margins are positive, you may need a repeat procedure. In some cases, abnormal cells are found again. If this happens, you may require another LEEP. Following a normal Pap and negative HPV test, patients are required to come back a year later for another screening. Women with high-grade dysplasia who undergo a LEEP need to be followed closely for 25 years to make sure it does not recur.

The area usually heals in 4 to 6 weeks. The procedure will take about 10 minutes. Before you leave, your nurse will explain how to care for yourself at home. Here are some guidelines to follow:.

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