Other reasons for having a colposcopy may include: some of the cells in your cervical screeningCervical screening (smear test) is a quick test to check your cervix (neck of the womb) for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV is a common virus that can cause many different types of cancer. HPV causes 99% of all cervical cancers. Your sample is checked for HPV that can cause cell changes.https://www.nhsinform.scot › cervical-screening-smear-test
A colposcopy is often done if cervical screening finds changes to your cells that are caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). These changed cells can turn into cervical cancer cells.
After the colposcopy
You may experience some spotting or very light bleeding from your vagina in the next day or two. If you had a biopsy sample taken during your colposcopy, you may experience: Vaginal or vulvar pain that lasts one or two days. Light bleeding from your vagina that lasts a few days.
A colposcopy is most often used to find abnormal cells in the cervix, vagina, or vulva. It may also be used to: Check for genital warts, which may be a sign of an HPV (human papillomavirus) infection. Having HPV may put you at higher risk for developing cervical, vaginal, or vulvar cancer.
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.
You may need treatment if the results of your colposcopy show that there are abnormal cells in your cervix. The abnormal cells will be removed, which usually involves removing an area of the cervix about the size of a finger tip.
If you test positive for HPV 16/18, you will need to have a colposcopy. If you test positive for HPV (but did not have genotyping performed or had genotyping and tested negative for 16/18), you will likely have a colposcopy.
Colposcopy is a medical term that sounds quite scary. However, there is no reason for the actual test to scare you. The first thing you need to understand is that modern treatments can prevent you from getting cervical cancer. This is because abnormal cellular changes take place over several years.
A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.
HPV is the most common STI. There were about 43 million HPV infections in 2018, many among people in their late teens and early 20s. There are many different types of HPV. Some types can cause health problems, including genital warts and cancers.
Treatments to remove precancerous cervical lesions don't seem to affect a woman's ability to become pregnant, new research found. The use of diagnostic colposcopy and biopsy and other procedures to diagnose and treat precancerous cervical lesions does not appear to decrease a woman's chances of becoming pregnant.
Do not douche, have sexual intercourse, or use tampons for 1 week if you had a biopsy. This will allow time for your cervix to heal. You can take a bath or shower anytime after the test.
After your colposcopy appointment
You can leave the hospital as soon as you feel ready. You can go to work or do any other activities as usual, although you may prefer to rest.
Borderline or mildly dyskaryotic test result, HPV positive
A minor abnormality means that there are small changes to the cells of your cervix. This is not unusual. Because your result showed these changes your sample was tested for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV is a very common infection of the cervix.
Normal. A normal (or “negative”) result means that no cell changes were found on your cervix. This is good news.
Anyone who has had sex can get HPV, even if it was only with only one person, but infections are more likely in people who have had many sex partners. Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed.
The most common reason for a negative Pap test with a positive HPV result is that the patient has an HPV infection, but the infection is not causing any cellular abnormalities. Cellular abnormalities caused by HPV can be quite focal on the cervix, while the HPV infection can be more widespread.
Yes. During the four- to six-week recovery time, new healthy tissue grows on your cervix to replace the removed abnormal tissue.
The precision of the Pap smear was 72.2%. Sensitivity and specificity of colposcopy were 66.7% (CI: 60.7– 72.7) and 98.94% (CI: 92.94–100), respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values of colposcopy were 80 and 97.9%, respectively. In general, the accuracy of colposcopy was calculated as 97%.
Only if your doctor finds something that doesn't look normal during your colposcopy. If they find several areas that don't look right, they'll biopsy those, too. Your doctor will do the biopsy during your colposcopy. They'll use a sharp tool to take a sample of tissue from the abnormal area.
Women age 21-65 should get a Pap smear every 3 years beginning at age 21. Women age 30 and older can consider Pap testing every 5 years if the procedure is combined with human papillomavirus (HPV)—a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer.
Cell changes coming back FAQs
But going for your follow up appointments helps your colposcopy team keep a close eye on HPV and any cell changes, so they can make sure you get the right care. Having persistent HPV does not mean you will always have cell changes, or that they will keep coming back.
Q: How long after exposure does it usually take for something to be detectable? A: Changes consistent with HPV can usually be detected within 3-6 months after exposure to the infection.
Normal result
About 4 in 10 colposcopy results are normal. This means no cell changes (abnormal cells) were found in your cervix during colposcopy or biopsy. You can have a normal colposcopy result even if you had an abnormal cervical screening result.