Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP)

LEEP effectively removes abnormal cells from your cervix to help prevent you from getting cervical cancer.

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If a Pap smear, HPV test, or colposcopy found abnormal cells, you may need a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP).

Abnormal cell growth on the cervix is called dysplasia.

Dysplasia is not cancer—but if not treated, it can lead to cervical cancer. LEEP can prevent you from getting cervical cancer.

And if it's caught early, cervical cancer is highly curable.

University of Iowa Health Care specialists perform LEEP to treat dysplasia by removing the abnormal cells.

How LEEP works

LEEP is much like the colposcopy procedure you had to take a sample of cells from your cervix.

As with colposcopy, your care team focuses on keeping you comfortable during your LEEP. They will offer you options like pain medication, aromatherapy, and heat packs.

What to expect during LEEP

Please note that you’ll need to bring someone with you to drive you home after your procedure. Before beginning your procedure, the team will check to make sure someone is waiting for you.

Here are the steps to your procedure:

You'll lie on an exam table with your legs in stirrups or supports, as you would for a Pap smear. You will have a sticky pad placed on your upper thigh.
Your physician will insert a speculum into your vagina and will apply numbing medicine to your cervix.
They will look through a magnifying lens to see the tissue that needs to be removed. Then, they will use the loop tool to remove the tissue. This takes only a few seconds.
Finally, they will use a cotton swab to apply a medicine that prevents bleeding.

From start to finish, the procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Your provider will send a sample of the tissue to a pathologist for examination.

You'll hear from your provider within two to three weeks with the results and recommendations for follow-up.

After your procedure

We recommend resting for the rest of the day.

You might have some cramping afterward that feels like menstrual cramps. You can take over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

You can go back to normal activities the day after your procedure. Don't have sex, douche, or use tampons for three weeks.

What to watch for

It's normal to have some vaginal discharge after LEEP. It can be pink, red, or brown/black and can look like coffee grounds.

You might also have some spotting or light bleeding for up to two weeks.

Call your provider if you have: