Is colposcopy uncomfortable?

In order to identify some gynecological diseases that women may suffer from, the more popular method at present is colposcopy. There are many precautions for patients before and after the colposcopy, such as not cleaning the vagina before the examination, not taking medication through the vagina, and emptying the urine before the examination. Some auxiliary drugs must be used during the examination, etc. So, will it be very uncomfortable for women to have a colposcopy?

Is colposcopy painful?

Colposcopy refers to the direct observation of epithelial lesions of the vagina and cervix through a colposcope under a strong light source, with a magnification of 6 to 20 times, so as to observe smaller lesions of the vagina and cervix that are invisible to the naked eye, and perform targeted biopsy on suspicious parts to improve the diagnosis rate.

Is colposcopy painful?

The main purpose of colposcopy is to preliminarily evaluate whether there is a possibility of lesions in the vulva, vagina or cervix. Colposcopy cannot be used to confirm the nature of the lesions. When colposcopy shows suspected lesions, a biopsy of the suspected lesion area is required. A biopsy is the removal of a piece of cervical tissue about the size of a grain of rice using biopsy forceps. Since there are no pain-sensitive nerves on the cervix, there is generally no obvious pain when taking a biopsy under a colposcopic lens. Most patients only feel mild distension and pain, which is tolerable.

Colposcopy steps

1. After the patient has emptied his bladder, he takes the lithotomy position and uses a vaginal speculum to expose the cervical vagina.

2. Use a cotton ball to gently wipe away cervical secretions and mucus.

3. Observe the shape, size, color, spots and growths of the cervix with the naked eye.

4. Turn on the lighting switch, adjust the objective lens to the same level as the examined part, adjust the distance of the objective lens, generally about 20 cm away from the cervix, and adjust the focal length of the objective lens until the image is clear. Use a 10x low-power microscope to roughly observe the shape, color, and blood vessels of the cervix under white light, and then use a high-power microscope to identify cervical lesions.

5. Use a cotton ball dipped in 3% to 5% acetic acid to rub the surface of the cervix. Under the action of acetic acid, the columnar epithelium swells and becomes slightly white and grape-like, while the squamous epithelium becomes slightly white without any grape-like changes. This can be used to distinguish between the squamous epithelium and the columnar epithelium. After 1 to 2 minutes, the color change will fully appear, and the suspicious lesion area should be carefully observed. If long-term observation is required, 3% to 5% acetic acid solution should be applied repeatedly every 3 to 5 minutes. In order to clearly observe the changes in blood vessel morphology, green filter lenses can be used for inspection. After the acetic acid test, the surface of the cervix is ​​smeared with compound iodine solution. The primitive squamous epithelium is stained dark brown, the columnar epithelium is not stained, and the metaplastic squamous epithelium shows different shades of staining depending on the degree of maturity of the metaplasia. The location and range of the lesion can be determined based on this. The negative area of ​​iodine test (unstained area) is the suspicious lesion site. A biopsy is taken from the negative area and sent for pathological examination.