Colposcopy (Colposcopic examination of the cervix)

What is a colposcopy?

A colposcopy is a more detailed examination of the cervix (the opening to the womb) using a colposcope — a large magnifying microscope with a light that stays outside the body. It is usually arranged after cervical screening finds high-risk HPV together with cell changes, or after persistent HPV, or sometimes because of symptoms or an abnormal-looking cervix.

It is a closer look, not a treatment in itself, although treatment for cell changes is sometimes done at the same visit. The examination is similar to having cervical screening, but the cervix is looked at in much more detail. Liquids (acetic acid, like dilute vinegar, and sometimes iodine) are dabbed on to make any abnormal areas show up.

If an abnormal area is seen, a small sample (biopsy) may be taken to find out the exact grade of any changes. The aim is to find cell changes while they are still pre-cancerous, so they can be monitored or treated and cancer prevented. Most people referred for colposcopy do not have cancer, and around 4 in 10 examinations are normal.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your test

• Try to book for when you are not having your period, though light bleeding is usually fine — check with the clinic.
• Tell the clinic if you are or might be pregnant; colposcopy can usually still be done, but treatment is often delayed.
• Ask in advance whether treatment might be done on the day, so you can plan and arrange a lift if needed.
• You can take simple painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen beforehand if you wish.
• Wear something easy to remove from the waist down; you keep your top on.
• Bring a panty liner or sanitary pad, as there may be some discharge or light bleeding afterwards.
• You can ask for a female colposcopist, a chaperone, or to bring someone with you.

What happens

You undress from the waist down and lie on a couch with padded supports for your legs. As with screening, a speculum is gently put into the vagina so the cervix can be seen. The colposcope stays outside your body and simply magnifies the view.

The clinician dabs liquids on the cervix — acetic acid (like dilute vinegar), and sometimes iodine — which can sting or feel cold and make abnormal areas turn white or change colour. If an abnormal area is seen, a small biopsy may be taken; this can feel like a sharp pinch or a period-type cramp for a moment.

The examination usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. If treatment such as LLETZ is done at the same time, local anaesthetic is injected into the cervix first and the visit takes a little longer. You can usually go home straight afterwards.

Is this test right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Comfort, sedation or contrast choices

If local anaesthetic, sedation, contrast or pain relief is used, ask what is planned, why, and what it means afterwards.

Colposcopy itself is low risk. The main uncertainties are whether the whole abnormal area can be seen (sometimes it sits up inside the cervical canal and is harder to assess), and waiting for biopsy results. Ask the clinician whether they could see all of the area, whether a biopsy was taken, and when and how you will get the result.

Published figures to discuss

Colposcopy is a low-risk examination. Uncertainties are mainly about interpretation: whether the whole abnormal area (the transformation zone) can be seen, whether a biopsy reflects the worst area, and how changes are graded. Published figures vary by clinic and by who is examined, so they should be read cautiously.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

Most people recover within a day or two. If only a look was done, you can carry on as normal; if a biopsy or treatment was done, you may have some bleeding and need to avoid sex, tampons and swimming for a while.

• Brown or dark discharge from the iodine/acetic acid for a day or so
• Light bleeding or spotting for a few days after a biopsy
• Mild period-type cramps that settle with simple painkillers
• Some normal anxiety while waiting for results

Aftercare

• Use a panty liner or pad for any bleeding or discharge; avoid tampons until bleeding stops.
• Avoid sex, baths and swimming until any bleeding settles (a few days after a biopsy, or about 4 weeks after treatment).
• Take simple painkillers such as paracetamol for cramps if needed.
• Carry on with normal daily activities if you feel well.
• Watch for signs of infection: increasing pain, fever, or smelly discharge.
• Make sure you know when and how you will receive your results.
• Attend any follow-up or treatment appointment that is arranged.

• Panty liners or sanitary pads ready
• Simple painkillers at home
• A note of whether a biopsy was taken and when results are due
• Clarity on whether treatment was done and the aftercare rules that apply
• A lift home arranged if treatment was planned for the day
• The clinic's contact number for questions or concerns

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Heavy bleeding (soaking pads) rather than light spotting
• Bleeding that smells offensive, or thick green/yellow discharge (possible infection)
• A high temperature or feeling generally unwell
• Severe or worsening lower tummy pain
• Bleeding that lasts much longer than expected
• Any result letter you do not understand — contact the clinic

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

If the cervix looks normal, you may be reassured on the day and returned to routine screening. If a biopsy was taken, results usually take about 4 to 8 weeks and are graded — for example CIN1 (low-grade, often just monitored), CIN2 or CIN3 (higher-grade changes usually offered treatment), or CGIN (glandular changes, usually treated). Rarely the biopsy shows cancer, which means urgent specialist referral.

CIN is not cancer — it describes pre-cancerous changes that may or may not progress. A normal colposcopy is reassuring but, like screening, reflects this point in time, so you still attend future screening and report any new symptoms.

The result guides what happens next: routine recall, closer follow-up, or treatment. Because cell changes can develop or recur over time, colposcopy is part of ongoing surveillance rather than a one-off all-clear. After treatment or monitoring, you usually have a 'test of cure' HPV check, and continued screening afterwards.

Related tests, treatments or support

Colposcopy is often combined with a biopsy, and sometimes with treatment such as LLETZ at the same visit (see-and-treat). It is not combined with checks for other gynaecological cancers. If you have separate symptoms or need contraception or other care, those are arranged separately.

Follow-up & long-term care

You are told whether a biopsy was taken and when to expect results, usually by letter within about 4 to 8 weeks. The letter or clinic explains the plan: a return to routine screening, closer monitoring, or treatment. If treatment was done on the day, a 'test of cure' HPV screen is usually arranged at around 6 months.

• Attend any follow-up colposcopy or repeat screening that is arranged.
• Have the 'test of cure' HPV screen at about 6 months if you had treatment.
• Continue routine cervical screening afterwards as advised.
• Report any new abnormal bleeding or discharge promptly.
• Stopping smoking helps low-grade changes clear and lowers recurrence risk.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• If the whole abnormal area cannot be seen, a different procedure (such as a cone biopsy or loop) may be needed.
• An inconclusive or borderline biopsy may need repeating.
• Low-grade changes are often monitored with repeat colposcopy rather than treated straight away.
• Colposcopy is part of ongoing surveillance, so repeat visits are common and normal.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• Clear information on whether a biopsy was taken and when results are due.
• Written after-care advice on bleeding, sex, tampons and swimming.
• A named contact route for questions or concerns.
• A clear plan for follow-up, treatment or return to routine screening, and a 'test of cure' if treated.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether you are seen on the NHS after a screening result or choose to go privately
• Whether a biopsy is taken and the laboratory reporting fee
• Whether treatment (such as LLETZ) is done at the same visit
• The colposcopist's fee and the clinic or facility fee
• Any follow-up appointment to discuss results
• Whether a 'test of cure' HPV screen is included in the price

• Whether the examination, any biopsy and laboratory reporting are included
• What treatment at the same visit would cost, if offered
• How and when results are given, and by whom
• Whether a follow-up consultation is included
• What happens, and what it would cost, if the result is inconclusive
• Whether the 'test of cure' HPV check is included

On the NHS? Colposcopy is provided free on the NHS when screening shows an abnormal result; private colposcopy is available mainly for speed or choice and follows the same standards.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.

• Why am I being referred — what did my screening result show?
• Will you take a biopsy, and when and how will I get the result?
• Could you see the whole abnormal area, or does any of it sit up inside the canal?
• Might treatment be done at the same visit, and what would that involve?
• What happens if the result is low-grade, high-grade or inconclusive?
• How will my future screening change after this?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the specialist who carries out my test, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this test not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified specialist for colposcopy

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Colposcopy NHS — Colposcopy results GOV.UK — Cervical screening and colposcopy management

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.