What is cryotherapy?
How is cryotherapy performed?
Is it painful?
What can I expect after cryotherapy?
What are the risks of cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is used to treat an area of abnormal tissue on the cervix. It is performed after the colposcopy visit, once the result of the cervical biopsies has been received.
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| How Is Cryotherapy Performed? |
Cryotherapy is done with the client in the same position used for taking a Pap test. A speculum is inserted and the cervix is touched with an instrument, called a cryoprobe, that rapidly freezes the abnormal tissue. The procedure takes several minutes.
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Most women describe pelvic pressure and some have menstrual-like cramps during cryotherapy. A few women notice no discomfort at all.
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| What Can I Expect After Cryotherapy? |
All women will have a watery discharge that can last from a few days to several weeks. This discharge may be extremely heavy and can be blood-tinged. Your clinician may advise you not to have intercourse and not to use tampons for approximately two weeks. Because of the heavy loss of water from the freezing of tissue, you should be sure to drink lots of fluids. Orange juice is especially good for you as the cells are repairing.
Call the clinic if you have:
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| What Are The Risks Of Cryotherapy? |
Most women do not have any serious side effects after cryotherapy. Rarely, however, complications can occur and include fainting, flare-up of pelvic infection, freeze burns of the vaginal wall and excessive bleeding.
No treatment is one hundred percent effective and no guarantee can be made by Planned Parenthood regarding the success of the treatment. The risk that this treatment will fail to cure the cervical problem is about 10 - 15%. If the condition is left untreated, it may progress to cancer. For this reason, it is essential that you keep your return appointments for follow-up care.
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