This article is from the Department of Health; a brief introduction on the procedure known as colposcopy.

A colposcopy as defined in the article is a way of looking at the tissue of a cervix and vagina of a woman using a colposcope or also known as colpomicroscope. This type of procedure is administered by a specially trained and experience doctor or nurse. A colposcopy is usually requested after a smear test screening wherein an abnormal discharge was observed. A colposcopy can determine if a woman has cervical cancer. Cancer of the neck of the womb or also know as carcinoma of the cervix is one of the leading cancer that affects women. Women affected by this type of cancer are those that are sexually active and have a wide range of age group, from 25 to 65 has the risk of cancer of the cervix.

A doctor will recommend a colposcopy if a woman shows signs of the following; an abnormal spear during a Pap smear examination, a female patient notices irritated area on her cervix or vagina, unexplained bleeding or even spotting is noticed even on a no period. Another thing is, a female has a greater risk of vaginal and cervical cancer if her mother during pregnancy took diethylstilbestrol (DES).

The article also emphasizes that although a doctor will recommend for colposcopy this does not mean that a patient suffers from cancer. Abnormal smear or discharge can mean among other things, like cuts in the vagina wall. The test only ensures that at an early onset of cancer it can be detected and treatment can be planned. A higher success rate is more likely if cervical cancer is detected early on.

What not to do twenty four hours before a colposcopy examination is included in this article, as well as what the examination will be like. In this type of test the doctor or specialist will be using a special type of instrument known as a colposcope or colpomicroscope. This colpomicroscope is positioned in a way that it does not touch the vagina but at a distance and with a magnifying capability can peer through inside the cervix and vagina. The colpomicroscope (colposcope) is usually equipped with a camera. Also the colpomicroscope has different magnification settings, from low power to a higher degree of detail. Most of the colpomicroscope has variable adjustments from the arm to the base allowing for greater flexibility in positioning.

After the colposcopy procedure the patient will sometimes notice a dark discharge in her vagina. This is usually after and if the doctor has performed a biopsy. A biopsy is another procedure wherein a very small sample of the tissue is removed from the suspect area. This tissue is then sent to the laboratory for analysis. Usually what causes the dark discharge after a biopsy is the application of a thick yellow paste which is applied to the small cut from the biopsy procedure; this paste is to stop the bleeding.

The article then continues to enumerate what to expect after a biopsy and things to observe after a biopsy.More on this topic