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What is Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure?
When is this performed?
How is the procedure performed?
Is it painful?
What can I expect after LEEP?
What are the risks of this procedure?
Some things to remember after you have had LEEP
| What is Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure? |
"Loop Electrosurgical Excision" is a procedure in which an electrical wire loop is used to remove an abnormal piece of tissue on the cervix.
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If CIN (also called dysplasia), an area of abnormal cervical cells, is found after a colposcopic viewing and biopsy of the cervix, the LEEP treatment may be performed in our clinic.
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| How is the Procedure Performed? |
It is done with the patient in the same position used for taking a Pap test, and takes about 30 minutes.
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All patients are given a small amount of numbing medication (local anesthetic) injected into the cervix. Some patients experience mild discomfort or cramping, but most do not feel anything.
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| What Can I Expect After LEEP? |
After treatment, you may experience mild cramping for up to 24 hours. You probably will have a watery vaginal discharge for several weeks. This discharge may be heavy for a few days or may be mixed with a little blood. There may be some odor to the discharge. If this happens, wash the labia (vaginal lips) off with plain water several times a day for a few days.
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| What are the Risks of This Procedure? |
Most women do not experience serious side effects from this procedure. However, very rarely, serious complications can occur. These include damage to other pelvic organs or the vaginal walls, pelvic infection (particularly if you have sex before the cervix heals), or excessive bleeding (about 1 in 100 women has bleeding that may require a return visit to the office). Very rarely the procedure can weaken the cervix and cause problems with future pregnancies.
The risk that this treatment will fail to cure the problem is about 10%. If the condition is left untreated, it may progress to cancer. For this reason, it is essential that you keep your appointments for follow-up care.
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| Some Things to Remember After You Have Had LEEP |
To speed healing and prevent infection, you should follow these instructions:
- Sanitary pads, rather than tampons, are recommended, if needed, for 3 weeks.
- You should not have intercourse for three weeks unless the doctor recommends otherwise.
- You should not douche your vagina for at least three weeks.
- Oral pain relievers, such as Tylenol or Advil, may be used for cramps.
- Call the Planned Parenthood clinic if you have any questions or any unusual or unexpected symptoms, such as:
- unusual vaginal bleeding, or bleeding heavier than the heaviest day of your period;
- foul smelling vaginal discharge;
- fever or chills;
- abdominal pain.
It is very important to have follow-up Pap tests at Planned Parenthood at 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months and every 6 months for the 2nd year after having loop electrosurgical excision done.
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