What happens during a LEEP?
LEEP may be done in a healthcare provider’s office, on an outpatient basis, or as part of your stay in a hospital. Procedures may vary depending on your condition and your healthcare provider’s practices.
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 will hear humming and/or blowing sounds from the equipment.
The LEEP wire will be inserted through the speculum and passed through the abnormal tissues. One or more passes may be needed. You may feel pressure or a slight cramping.
Some women feel faint during the procedure. Tell your healthcare provider or the nurse if you have this feeling.
It is very important that you lie still during the procedure.
The amount and location of tissue removed depends on the whether LEEP is being used as a diagnostic tool, or to remove abnormal tissue. LEEP wires come in different sizes and shapes.
The electrical current will seal the blood vessels, so usually there is very little bleeding. Any bleeding from the LEEP site may be treated with a paste-like topical medicine.
The tissue will be sent to a lab for further testing.
What happens after a LEEP?
After LEEP, you may rest for a few minutes after the procedure before going home.
You may want to wear a sanitary pad for bleeding. It is normal to have some mild cramping, spotting, and dark or black-colored discharge for several days. The dark discharge is from the medicine applied to your cervix to control bleeding.
You may be instructed not to douche, use tampons, or have sex for 4 weeks after LEEP, or for a period of time recommended by your healthcare provider.
You may also have other limits on your activity, including no strenuous activity or heavy lifting.
Take a pain reliever for cramping or soreness as directed by your healthcare provider. Aspirin or certain other pain medicines may increase the chance of bleeding. Be sure to take only recommended medicines.
Your healthcare provider will tell you when to return for further treatment or care. Generally, women who have had LEEP will need more frequent Pap tests.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following:
Bleeding with clots
Foul-smelling drainage from your vagina
Fever and/or chills
Severe abdominal pain
Your healthcare provider may give you other instructions after the procedure, depending on your particular situation.
Young woman drawing a sketch at her sunny kitchen table.
Fertility and Pregnancy After a LEEP
If you plan to conceive after a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), you might be worried about how it will affect your fertility and pregnancy. Learn the facts from a Gyn/Ob.
Learn more about fertility and LEEP.