First Colposcopy...

Hi,
Im very anxious about having my first Colposcopy done! I’ve been bleeding on contact for over a year. Ive seen two Gynaecologists and had 2 smears done but both came back normal. I’ve read that smears are not always right?
The second Gynaecologist said I have Cervical Ectropion and that is what was causing the bleeding. I had Cervical Cyro this September to try and stop the bleeding but I began bleeding again 6 weeks after :frowning: I have been to the doctors and had another smear which was clear but she has referred me to the hospital to have Colposcopy, which she said they will have a better look.

I started my final year of University in September and moved in with my boyfriend (which has not been the most romantic time, mainly tears about me bleeding) & was hoping this was going to be sorted by the start of October, feeling stressed that it’s an on going thing and always at the back of my mind that the smears are wrong. Hoping Colposcopy will have an answer? It’s a 6 week waiting list, which I should be seen in mid Jan. A few questions?

*Can I ask for a woman?
*How long were you on show? (legs up in the air?)
*How much did it hurt? I’m such a baby and have cried at every one of my smears/cyro but I think thats down to stress & embarrassment more than actually pain or discomfort.
*I am running my first half marathon in early March I don’t want the Colposcopy (if they do preform a procedure) to interfere with my training? Did you guys find that you could do intense exercise a few days after?

Sorry for all the questions I feel very naive about all this and don’t really know what they are going to decide at the Colposcopy.

K x

  • Sept 2014 Started Bleeding, 1st Smear (Clear)
  • May 2015 Gynaecologists Appointment (Don’t really know what he did down there at this appointment, found him hard to speak too)
  • Aug 2015 2nd Gynaecologist Appointment, 2nd Smear (Clear)
  • Sept 2015 Cervical Cyro
  • Nov 2015 Start bleeding again
  • Nov 2015 3rd Smear (Clear)
  • Mid Jan 2016 First Colposcopy Booked

Hi Kath

I will do my best to answer your questions :-)

- yes, you can ask for a female doctor, but bear in mind this might delay your appointment, so if you want to get it over with, it might be best to take what you're given! Lots of ladies on here have had male consultants and they have been lovely, so it might not be as bad as you think

- Legs in the air time is 5-10 mins max. I think mine was about 10 and that included having biopsies taken

- It doesnt hurt! I am very likely as big a baby as you and also started this journey with a severe medical phobia (like hysterical tears as soon as I got into the car park level phobia), and I honestly didnt find it too bad. Again many ladies say that the colpo is less uncomfortable than the smear, possibly because the person doing it is very, very experienced. They do this all day long, after all. It does feel wierd, because someone is dabbing a solution on a bit of you that no-one normally touches, but painful no. I don't know if they will take biopsies from you, but some ladies have said they felt a pinch when they were taken. I didnt feel a thing though - the doctor just told me to cough and did it at the same time, and for some reason that stops you feeling it.

- If you have biopsies taken, you probably don't want to do anything too strenuous for a few days. I got on my (very heavy) motorbike the next day and it made me bleed a bit and gave me a few twinges. If they do a LLETZ treatment (which would be the likely option if they find any abnormal cells), you'll be out of action for a bit longer, say 3-4 weeks. There are some ladies on here who went back to their exercise regime sooner, as they couldnt get on with not exercising, and they've had somewhat mixed results, some OK after a couple of weeks and some finding it did them no favours!

I hope you get some answers at the colposcopy. Try to focus on the positives - hopefully you will find out why you've been bleeding and get it sorted, which will make it much nicer for both you and your boyfriend :-)

Good luck

E

thanks for your reply Moggsy. Really helpful, I just wanted to know what I should expect as my doctor didnt really tell me much. She didnt even tell me I was going to have Colposcopy,(never even heard the word before) it was only when i rang the hospital to double check I was on the waiting list that i found out, I just thought i was going for cyro again or a check up. 

I have just one more question? was there many people in the room where you had the Colposcopy? or was it just the doctor and a nurse? 

Thankyou for your detailed reply, it has given me something to work with and know what to expect. 

Hi again

I had 3 people in the room with me, the doctor and two nurses. They do know that this is a stressful thing for us to have to go through and the two nurses are there so that one can assist the doctor, handing her anything she needs while she is at "the business end" and the other one can take care of you. They are super-nice and will keep you chatting if it helps to distract you, and even hold your hand if you get a bit panicky.

It's definitely worth asking the doctor what she/he thinks when you're at the colposcopy. I asked mine, and she said "either CIN1 or CIN2 I'd say" ... she was spot on: CIN1 with some localised spots of CIN2. I think it's a good idea to ask, as they see cervixes all day long and can usually take an educated guess at what it'll come back as. Otherwise you might have to wait 4 weeks for biopsy results to get any definitive answers.

Hope it goes well, let us know how you get on :-)

E