colposcopy while pregnant

Nrsalegnat06

I am 9w1d today, I found out at my last OB appointment that my pap was abnormal and he wants to do a colposcopy in 2 weeks, I'll be 10w6days then. I have never had one not pregnant let alone pregnant. He said that he will not do any biopsying until after I have the baby, but none the less I am nervous. Has anyone had one while pregnant?

ashlin242000

I am lurking from the feb 2012 board.

I had an abnormal pap smear when I was 10 wks pregnant.  My ob told me they absolutly would not do a colposcopy while i was pregnant, they really do not want to mess with your cervix in anyway while you are pregnant.  They did it after Emma was born and everything turned out fine.

 

budgirl007

I don't know why they wouldn't wait and leave your cervix be while PG? If something came up they wouldn't treat it until after birth anyways so why not wait?

Strawberry9

I haven't had an abnormal pap since I have been pregnant, but my last pap before I was pregnant was abnormal.  They made me take a pregnancy test before the colposcopy because they would not perform it if I was pregnant.  I would ask if it would be okay if their waited, I wouldn't allow them to do the procedure while I was pregnant.

anglgrl718

This has me very worried as my dr. told me that if my pap came back abnormal they would do a colposcopy on me. Ive had 4 in the past because I have HPV and I expect this one to come back abnormal too. Should I tell her I don't want it until I have the baby? I never thought of it as being dangerous. 

izzyjenni

Um...it is perfectly safe to do a colposcopy while pregnant.  And a biopsy only has a very very slim chance of any complications.  

 

 Answer by apa:

 Can I have colposcopy and biopsy during pregnancy?
Colposcopy is safe during pregnancy. The risk of biopsy during pregnancy is small, but your clinician may delay performing a biopsy if possible. Pregnant women may have more bleeding after biopsies than women who are not pregnant. This is because the cervix has an increased blood supply during pregnancy.

 

I just had a colposcopy two weeks ago at 9 weeks and they did a small biopsy so yes,  it is safe while pregnant.  They will not do a biopsy unless necessary.  Unless you are high risk,  it is safe.  Your dr wouldnt perform one if not. Previous posters are wrong. 

izzyjenni

And my baby and cervix are just fine.  Again...don't worry.  Colposcopy is just a microscope examination of your cervix.  It is not anymore invasive than a pap...completely safe.  No, they won't treat you till after the birth if they find something but chances are the cells will be shed during labor.  It is necessary though because they want to make sure your health is ok.   

NechamaChayim

I read this as "colonoscopy" and was soooo confused. Anyway, colposcopy is super easy and gentle. If you're willing to have a pap during pregnancy then this procedure should be fine too.

mandamerlot

I don't know why your doctor would risk it. I've had a few abnormal paps, and I had a colposcopy done 2 years ago- it sucked. It was super painful, I had cramps for 2 days afterward & bleeding. Came back perfectly fine. I ended up finding out after my last abnormal pap, that the new tools they use to take the samples don't get as good of a sample, so my gyno told me to tell my doctor to use the old swabs. Ever since I've relayed that information, I haven't had an abnormal pap. 

When I told my doctor this before he did my OB physical, he said he wasn't going to use the old tool because this PAP isn't meant to get a good sample from the cervix- it's more to check for infections as they didn't really want to mess around with the cervix at this stage.

Nrsalegnat06

Thanks, he explained in length that it would be ok, but I'm still nervous. What makes it worse is I'm an RN and "read too much" he tells me. He isn't planning on biopsying, just looking from what I gathered. Just nerve wracking I guess. It's good to hear from others who have been there!