*immediately starts googling LEEP procedure*
After continuing my gyno’s email, I was reverted back to how I felt before my preventative double mastectomy. Scared, nervous, sad, frustrated. All valid feelings to have when you don’t know a single other person who has been through either surgery! Ahh the unknown. Hello darkness my old friend. These feelings were more or less short-lived. In both instances, I immediately threw myself into prevention mode. Within 40 days of hearing about my BRCA+ results, I was on an O.R. table. Within two weeks of hearing about my HPV infection, I was back in stirrups.
What’s a LEEP Procedure?
When I received that lovely email from my gyno, I did even more digging. I am insanely curious and have to know everything about everything…which can be good and also very bad. Turns out, the internet can be a scary place. Please allow my little corner of the internet to be vastly different.
It all starts with an abnormal pap smear. I’ve had abnormal paps for the past three years. My doctor has called me back all three years for a colposcopy where she took a closer look at my cervix (the narrow end of the uterus at the top of the vagina, yay anatomy!) as well as a tissue sample for lab testing. This is usually accompanied by minor cramping and then boom. All is said and done! It’s not what I’d choose to do in my free-time, but prevention is key. This year, I got got the triple threat of a pap smear, a colposcopy and a LEEP.
LEEP stands for Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure and named after the tool used which has a wire loop on the end. An electric current heats the wire loop so your doctor can remove (excise) some cells on your cervix. I know – that doesn’t exactly have a friendly tone to it, but it all sounds worse than it is. Because my colposcopy lab results showed pre-cancerous cells caused by HPV, I needed a LEEP in order to shed those cells for healthy tissue growth. Otherwise, cervical cancer could develop, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
What to expect during a LEEP
I got undressed from the waist down. I covered up with a pink drape. I exchanged pleasantries with my gyno and her team. A nurse placed a grounding pad on my thigh because we were working with electrical currents. Then I braced for impact.
The insertion of the speculum was probably the most uncomfortable part for me just because it was larger than normal due to its special insulation to protect against the electrosurgical current. Next up came the local anesthetic to numb the area of the cervix. I’d heard this was painful and produced a bee-like sting, but I hardly felt any pressure when the needle went in. Phew. From that moment on, it was smooth sailing due to complete numbness. The loop was then inserted to take off any pre-cancerous cells, a special paste was applied to stop the bleeding, two tampons were inserted to act as band-aids, and out came the ugly speculum! All of that probably lasted 6-7 minutes.
The Aftermath
I felt dizzy afterwards so I stayed on the exam table for a bit. This is typical of such a procedure because manipulating the cervix causes a reaction to make your blood pressure go down (vasovagal syncope). I’ll have a check-up in two weeks and another pap smear in three months.
Helpful Tips
- Take ibuprofen before and after.
- A heating pad helps with cramping.
- Bring a positive attitude – ridding your body of bad cells before cancer hits is a GOOD THING.
- Talk about it. Having a support system is huge, and I’m so glad I put it out via Instagram b/c so many women shared their stories which made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
- A few minutes after the procedure, I felt fine to walk. I could’ve driven after a few more minutes of rest but was happy Alex was there to drive!
- Any man or woman who has ever had any sexual contact with another person can get HPV. The virus is spread by skin-to-skin contact.
- I got the HPV vaccine in college, but that only protected me from certain types of the virus.
- Side effects of a LEEP include bleeding, discharge and mild cramping. Cervical insufficiency is very rare, and there is a small increase in the risk of premature births and having a low birthweight baby.
- It’s recommended that women who are HPV+ get screened once a year and women who are HPV- get screened every 3 years. I’m a firm believer in the EVERY YEAR MODEL.
- No running for a few days, no baths for two weeks, no sex for 6 weeks.
Thanks for sharing this information. There’s is a lot more of a deep dive I think can be done too — I had this happen and it didn’t go as planned and I was left with PTSD. There is also another option to be put under for this procedure — something two of my friends were offered but not me. Thank you for talking about this — I don’t think it it talked about enough.
Totally – but I think it all depends on everyone’s own experience. I had a routine procedure so can’t speak to anything else than already discussed but urge anyone and everyone to share their experience!
Lesley, I read your blog. I think you are awesome. I am 70 years old and grew up in a different time . My message to my younger self would be…”be more like Lesley”. You are inspiring.
This is the sweetest comment to read. Thank you for the love!!
Thank you for sharing. You are an amazing person. Wish all the best always. God is powerful.
Love you,
Thank you for the love!
Thank you for sharing! I have been testing positive for abnormal paps for 2 years and I was always so nervous to tell anyone.
I’m so grateful for your blog… very thorough, honest and HEAD ON. You rock, and we are ALL behind you. You “.get the job done”; you know your homework and surround yourself with knowledge, positive attitude, support system attitude and POWER is the ultimate gift. You are AWESOME, ASS kickin’ AND … did I say BEAUTIFUL IBSUDE OUT!
Awww thank you for this! You are always full of so much love and support. Appreciate you lots!
Sharing your story can help others – and no shame in abnormal paps!
I had one done when I was 19. Very similar experience but man was it intimidating after I had done google searches as well! Happy to report I have had great paps since! Was going every 6 months and now am back to yearly. Only difference for mine was they didn’t place tampons after, they did apply the paste and gave me a diaper of a pad. Ha! But if it means early prevention & treatment, we do what we need to! Much love to you for writing this! I wish there was something so honest & transparent when I was researching years ago!
Thanks for sharing a piece of your story!
I had a LEEP 20 years ago and it was not a good experience. So glad it went well for you. We need to educate girls about this, and not be afraid to talk about it.
Totally agree. Sorry to hear about your experience but hoping it cured you of the disease! xo
I had a LEEP when I was 22 years old. I really didn’t know much about it but remember feeling so scared. I have regular check ups with my doctor and have since had 2 abnormal paps- the last was this past November at 33 years old. Again, the panic sets in. “Why does this keep happening? When will this stop”? The colposcopy revealed that all was fine- huge sigh of relief. A month later I found out i was pregnant with my first baby. Panic sets in again- will that LEEP have w negative effect on my pregnancy? My doctor assured me of the low risk but still always in the back of your head. I had the anatomy scan tonight and saw the baby for the first time- an unreal feeling. They had to measure my cervix due to the LEEP to ensure it was long enough- a shorter cervix can mean pre term labor and other low risk complications. Trying not to get worked up and waiting for the doctor to get back to me with all the measurements. Thanks for sharing your story. I’ve always felt ashamed or embarrassed about it but knowing how many people this effects make me realize talking about it only raises awareness.
Thank you for sharing. I had this done last year and wish I had something like this to read before to know what to expect. I wish more people were open about these things.
Thank you for sharing so openly about going through this procedure. I had a LEEP while in college and it was such a scary experience as no one talked about it then. I felt very alone and embarrassed as I had not heard of anyone having to go through this before! I felt ashamed and so scared, to the point that I avoided answering my phone for fear of scary results. Fortunately, as you mentioned, it is a good thing and prevented a scarier situation. I had great results and haven’t had a problem since. It’s been almost 13 years and I am so glad I had the procedure. I have since had twins and zero complications outside of extra monitoring of my cervix while pregnant. I have also tried to talk openly about it to take away some of the stigma that should not exist. So thank you. Thank you for telling it as it is and being real. I wish my younger self would have been able to read this when I needed it most!
I too had a LEEP when I was 20 yrs old. I am now 45….I loved reading your blog. It brought me back to the day I found out and the day of my procedure. My gyno was a funny man and tried to make me laugh and he did….”don’t walk out of here to fast as your a walking bbq right now!” I had to laugh….it was great. Hope your recovery is quick. ❤️
Question, did you have active HPV for 3 years? I had a LEEP done last year, and at my 6mo pap the cells looked normal but HPV was still active😬 So I’m going in Friday for another Colpo.
I love that you wrote about this!! I feel as though HPV has such a stigma these days. It’s nice to read an article in a more positive light than some of the articles of doom out there about this subject. So many people feel ashamed when they get an abnormal pap or hear they have HPV. It was lovely to read your side of things! And yes! Preventative measures are key! Everyone should stay on top of their health! Thanks for sharing!
P.S. it is so nice to see you so happy! Rooting for you!
thank you for sharing your experience! I went through the exact same thing this year and it was terrifying. I went down the black hole of the internet which caused so much unnecessary extra stress. It felt like I was experiencing it twice! I love being Informed, but like you said it can sometimes be a bad thing. Having a strong support team really helped me during this time and I am so happy to be proactive and take preventative measures to ensure a healthy and happy future! Again, thank you for your openness! It really makes me not feel alone! xo
Your amazing ! I never knew of any of these procedures! Thankyou for sharing and breaking down what goes on! Hugs to you both xx
I had a colposcopy and then a LEEP done over 7 years ago and ever since, my paps have came back normal. You need to visit once a year for paps for the next 7 years and if they come back all good, you can change the routine to every 3 years like everyone else. I much prefer every year – it gives me a piece of mind knowing all is in check down there since you NEVER know! Glad yours went well and hoping for a speedy recovery. The only issue I ran into down the road was some scar tissue appeared when I was pregnant with my son (3 years after my LEEP). But it was not a hurtle at all. He was born without issues, same with my daughter 2.5 years after him! ❤️
I’m so glad this went well for you! I am terrified to go to the Obgyn every year. I had 7 bad paps 7 years in a row, resulting in 7 colpos and a LEEP. At the time, I did not know anyone having these issues and had never heard of a LEEP before. I took some more drugs than you due to my low tolerance for pain and severe discomfort when it comes to the obgyn (for obvious reasons!). The procedure went well although I was instructed to not work out for three weeks which was really difficult. This was a few years ago so the process may be slightly easier now. It’s good for women to read this post and the comments to know it’s a normal process and many of us have gone through it! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve had to have LEEP in the past, and it was an in-office procedure such as yours. This time they are putting me under for the procedure. Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, no longer does in-office LEEP procedures. I don’t remember it being a very big deal before, but now I’m nervous. My doctor said it will only take 30 min or less, then time in recovery, then I will have to be driven home (my 17 year old daughter). Having my procedure over spring break 3-24-20, then the 26th I get to see Dr. Wright for my 6 month follow-up from my explant procedure! Busy Busy spring break! Thank you for your candid information about your procedure 🙂
Love this accessible and straightforward info for women about this gyn procedures! I am a PA who performs PAPs and colposcopies regularly and women should feel empowered and encouraged to get these things done and take preventative action!
Just FYI your bullet point above about how often to get PAP smears done only refers to women in their 20s. Women in their 30s and above only need to be screened every 5 years is their PAP cytology is normal with HPV-.
Thanks for sharing!