Results and Next Steps
Understanding your test results
After you’ve had your test, the sample will be sent to the lab to be tested. Click on the test below to understand the results and next steps.
Further testing
Colposcopy
A colposcopy is an exam, similar to a Pap test, that is done by a doctor who specializes in women’s reproductive health (a colposcopist). This procedure examines your cervix using a special microscope. The doctor may also take a biopsy (tissue sample) from any areas that appear abnormal for additional testing by the lab.
During the colposcopy:
- The doctor will insert a speculum into your vagina, and then put a mild vinegar solution or iodine solution on your cervix that will cause areas of abnormal cells to change colour.
- The doctor will use a colposcope (a high-powered microscope) to look closely at any abnormal areas of your cervix.
The entire procedure takes less than 10 minutes. If a tissue sample isn’t taken, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort after the procedure.
If a tissue sample is taken, you’ll likely feel some pinching or cramping during the procedure, but the discomfort should go away quickly. There may be some light spotting which should stop within 1 to 2 days.
The following video will give you an idea of what to expect when having a colposcopy:
After a colposcopy exam
If a tissue sample isn’t taken, and the cervical cells appear normal, you may be discharged and referred back to your healthcare provider for routine cervical screening. However, you may be asked to return for another colposcopy exam in 6 to 12 months. It’s important that you return for the follow-up colposcopy so that the cells from each exam can be compared and cell changes can be identified.
If tissue sample was taken, the sample is sent to the lab for further examination. This will help the doctor determine whether you have low-grade or high-grade cell changes.
- Low-grade cell changes: You’ll be followed closely to make sure the cells return to normal. You may have to have a repeat Pap test in several months or another colposcopy.
- High-grade cell changes: Treatment will be recommended so cancer doesn’t develop. Depending on the severity of the high-grade cell changes, treatment may include a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (often called a LEEP) or laser procedure. These procedures remove abnormal cells from the cervix.
The doctor may decide to request that the lab runs an HPV test on the sample. This test is called the HPV Test of Cure and it is used to determine if any HPV subtypes that can lead to cervical cancer are present.
If after the colposcopy or treatment the abnormal changes have gone away on their own or have been treated, you’ll need to see your healthcare provider for regular Pap testing.
- If you had low-grade cell changes: You’ll need to have a Pap test every year for 3 years. If all 3 results are normal, you can likely start having Pap tests every 3 years.
- If you had high-grade cell changes: Your healthcare provider will likely tell you to keep having a Pap test every year to help make sure cervical cancer doesn’t develop.