If you have an abnormal cervical cancer screening result, your health care professional may suggest that you have a loop electrosurgical excision procedure LEEP as part of the evaluation or for treatment see the FAQ Cervical Cancer Screening.
LEEP is one way to remove abnormal cells from the cervix by using a thin wire loop that acts like a scalpel surgical knife. An electric current is passed through the loop, which cuts away a thin layer of the cervix.
A LEEP should be done when you are not having your menstrual period to give a better view of the cervix. In most cases, LEEP is done in a health care professional's office. The procedure only takes a few minutes. During the procedure you will lie on your back and place your legs in stirrups.
The health care professional then will insert a speculum into your vagina in the same way as for a pelvic exam. Local anesthesia will be used to prevent pain. It is given through a needle attached to a syringe. You may feel a slight sting, then a dull ache or cramp. The loop is inserted into the vagina to the cervix. There are different sizes and shapes of loops that can be used.
You may feel faint during the procedure. If your doctor thinks your cervix may start to open too soon, you can have a sort of running stitch put around it to hold it shut. Your doctor may call this a purse string suture. The stitch is cut before you go into labour, usually at about week 37 of your pregnancy.
The cervix can then open normally for the baby to come out. It's very unlikely that any other treatment for abnormal cells, such as laser therapy, cold coagulation or cryotherapy will affect your ability to get pregnant in the future. The most likely way that these treatments can affect your ability to get pregnant, is if you get an infection after treatment which spreads into your fallopian tubes.
Infection in the fallopian tubes can cause them to become blocked. If both your tubes are blocked, then your eggs can't travel down the tubes into your womb.
This would mean that you couldn't get pregnant naturally. Such a severe infection is unlikely after treatment for abnormal cells. See your GP straight away if you have any symptoms of infection. These can include:. As with cone biopsy, studies looking at pregnancy after LLETZ show that there is a small rise in risk of birth before 37 weeks and having a low birth weight baby.
This risk can depend on the amount of cervical tissue that has been removed. There is also a slight increase in the risk of your waters breaking early premature rupture of membranes if you've had treatment with LLETZ. If you are pregnant, you should let your midwife or doctor know if you have had treatment for abnormal cervical cells.
Find out what treatment you might have. You will have some bleeding following treatment for abnormal cervical cells. Read more about how you might feel afterwards. Cervical screening aims to prevent cervical cancer. Find out about the screening programme, how you have the screening test and what your results mean. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. Top of the page. Abnormal Pap Test While Pregnant. Topic Overview Pregnancy does not seem to increase the progression of abnormal cervical cell changes. For women whose cervical cancer is more advanced, treatment decisions become more complex.
Your doctor will discuss options with you, which may include termination of the pregnancy if an aggressive cervical cancer is diagnosed, or if cancer is diagnosed very early in the pregnancy. For women who have reached their second or third trimester, it may be possible to delay treatment for cervical cancer until the baby is delivered. In this case, delivery will take place as early as is safe for the baby. If you are diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant, you and your doctor will work together to devise a treatment.
Your doctor will explain all options, as well as the benefits and risks of each treatment. Since the decision to treat cervical cancer is especially complex in the case of a pregnant woman, you may want to seek a second opinion before deciding.
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