They had to inject anesthetics into my cervix, just like they do into your gums at the dentist, which did hurt. That was the worst part. For the actual LEEP procedure, I didn't feel a thing.
LEEP is basically using a little electrified loop of wire to remove the affected cervical cells. First the OBGYN uses certain solutions (orange and dark brown gunky stuff) to make the affected cells show up clearly. The OBGYN actually uses a special kind of camera aimed up the vaginal canal at the cervix so she/he can see clearly for the procedure. My doctor asked if I wanted to be able to see the screen, and I said sure. It was the first time I had seen my own cervix. It was actually really neat! I asked for my screen to be turned off before they removed tissue, though.
The entire thing took maybe two hours. Afterward, I felt kind of crampy, as if I had my period. There was some gunky bits of black discharge, which was the special solution coming out - totally normal. Bleeding was minimal. I had to wait a month before having sex again (or inserting fingers, or using tampons, etc). In actuality, I went back for a checkup after three weeks, and because the amount of tissue they removed from me was relatively small, I had basically healed already, and they told me I could have sex again at that point. At the checkup, they make sure you're healing properly, and they also let you know if the LEEP managed to remove all affected cells.
After that, standard protocol is to keep going back for pap smears every six months. If three pap smears in a row come back with normal results, then your body is deemed to have cleared the virus, and the whole rigmarole is over - unless, of course, you contract a new strain of high-risk HPV later on. You don't have to worry about re-contracting the same strain of high-risk HPV you originally had (for example, from a previous partner), because your body develops an immunity. If you haven't already had the Gardasil vaccine, it protects from four of the most common strains of HPV (two high-risk and two low-risk), so it may be worth considering.
A single LEEP is very unlikely to affect any future pregnancies. Multiple LEEP procedures, however, can cause complications during pregnancy, because the cervix has been thinned from removing tissue. This is why providers sometimes choose to monitor HPV developments, rather than recommending a LEEP procedure right away, especially if the patient is young and especially if the cell changes are mild to moderate. If the cell changes are severe, it is important to perform a LEEP procedure to prevent cancer from developing.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-02-06 01:19 am (UTC)They had to inject anesthetics into my cervix, just like they do into your gums at the dentist, which did hurt. That was the worst part. For the actual LEEP procedure, I didn't feel a thing.
LEEP is basically using a little electrified loop of wire to remove the affected cervical cells. First the OBGYN uses certain solutions (orange and dark brown gunky stuff) to make the affected cells show up clearly. The OBGYN actually uses a special kind of camera aimed up the vaginal canal at the cervix so she/he can see clearly for the procedure. My doctor asked if I wanted to be able to see the screen, and I said sure. It was the first time I had seen my own cervix. It was actually really neat! I asked for my screen to be turned off before they removed tissue, though.
The entire thing took maybe two hours. Afterward, I felt kind of crampy, as if I had my period. There was some gunky bits of black discharge, which was the special solution coming out - totally normal. Bleeding was minimal. I had to wait a month before having sex again (or inserting fingers, or using tampons, etc). In actuality, I went back for a checkup after three weeks, and because the amount of tissue they removed from me was relatively small, I had basically healed already, and they told me I could have sex again at that point. At the checkup, they make sure you're healing properly, and they also let you know if the LEEP managed to remove all affected cells.
After that, standard protocol is to keep going back for pap smears every six months. If three pap smears in a row come back with normal results, then your body is deemed to have cleared the virus, and the whole rigmarole is over - unless, of course, you contract a new strain of high-risk HPV later on. You don't have to worry about re-contracting the same strain of high-risk HPV you originally had (for example, from a previous partner), because your body develops an immunity. If you haven't already had the Gardasil vaccine, it protects from four of the most common strains of HPV (two high-risk and two low-risk), so it may be worth considering.
A single LEEP is very unlikely to affect any future pregnancies. Multiple LEEP procedures, however, can cause complications during pregnancy, because the cervix has been thinned from removing tissue. This is why providers sometimes choose to monitor HPV developments, rather than recommending a LEEP procedure right away, especially if the patient is young and especially if the cell changes are mild to moderate. If the cell changes are severe, it is important to perform a LEEP procedure to prevent cancer from developing.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!