To be honest, i've heard it's not too pleasant... but that was from one person, and since everyone is different... i wish i had better imput for you though
It's not too bad. It's a little uncomfortable, like a pap smear, but maybe a little worse. It takes longer, too. I had one 5 yrs ago, so I don't remember the specifics, but it's bearable.
basically at first it's just like a pap smear -- somebody checking out your stuff. if they biopsy anything, that's when it gets a little weird. it's REALLY weird how all that works, because like, if they cut something off your cervix it totally feels like period cramps, and will continue to feel like period cramps for a few hours at least. or that's how it was for me anyway stupid woman health problems. gl, you can pm me if you want to ask anything else i just had this done like, a couple of weeks ago.
It is no differant then a pap ,,,last a bit longer ,,, and if your not getting a biopsy then you have no worries. Bring a pad or linner or ask for one as the vinager they use will leak out once you stand up and start moving again. My first one I went shopping and about 10 min being in the store I felt all this wetness,,,like ALOT!! It was vinager coming out! Sorry to be soo graphic but I want to save you the pain in the butt ,,, bring a pad ,,unless you go straight home ,,might want to just shower.
I recently had this done and then had to have a LEEP done 3 weeks ago because the results of the biopsy they took during the col-po were not great news. The col-po hurts a little if they take a biopsy. If they're not going to do a biopsy, then, yeah, just bring a pad. With no biopsy, a col-po is just like a slightly more unpleasant pap smear. If they might do a biopsy, bring some pain reliever with you. I went right to class after the col-po, but it wasn't a lovely time. It felt like cramps. If you eventually have to have a LEEP, plan to rest for a couple of days. A LEEP is where they remove part of your cervix because the results of the col-po showed problems. It prevents cervical cancer, but it hurts like hell. I was surprised by how long it took me to recover.
When I was younger I wasn't very careful about getting pap smears done regularly because it's no fun and I guess I thought it couldn't happen to me. I also traveled a lot, so there was nobody to nag me about it. Now I am really relieved that I have been more responsible about this lately. Had I not gone in for my regular check-up, I would have developed cancer. Now, even after the LEEP, I have to have Paps more often to make sure that everything is alright. The thing that sucks is that almost all cervical cancer happens because women are exposed to the human papilloma virus. (I may not have spelled that right.) Men who carry it have no symptoms. Three quarters of sexually active adults carry it. Most women who are exposed to it won't develop cancer, but virtually all women who develop cervical cancer do have it. My doctor told me to tell the only two men that I have been with in the last 9 or 10 years. That was pleasant. They, of course, denied that they could possibly carry the virus. They're both pure as the driven snow, apparently. (The snow in New York City, maybe.) Looking back, even though I was trying to be responsible, if I could do it again I would not have told them. It doesn't make them sick and they acted like total jerks. I told my ex husband so that his girlfriend would know that she may have been exposed. He freaked out. Moral of the story: Get your pap smears done every year. It's not fun, but it sure beats cervical cancer. It's more fun than a LEEP, too.
levi, i REALLY appriciate your post. i havent been keeping up with my pap smears, either... and wow, i definitely did not know that 3/4s of adults carry hpv. and i also did not know it could be passed through condoms. because of the pill, i've gotta have a pap smear done before february... and after reading this, i think that the sooner i get it done, the better. like pandie said, i don't have any symptoms of anything either... but that doesn't mean everything is straight. thank you for the wake up call, ladies!
Believe me, it took some courage for me to come on here and describe my icky experience. I don't normally enjoy telling many, many perfect strangers about such a personal thing. I really feel, though, that if I can be honest with other women and tell you what I just recently went through, maybe you'll take good care of yourselves and avoid it. I didn't have any symptoms whatsoever. Nothing at all. I still don't. So, even if nothing seems to be wrong, get those icky pap-smears done! I didn't know about the possibility of building up immunity. Good. I worried about that. I thought I was the last candidate for an STD. I have only been with two men in the last ten years. I have gone for long periods of time with no sex life at all since I had my kids. (And yet I end up with this? How is that fair?) If it can happen to me, it can happen to just about anyone. I had a LEEP because the stuff they needed to take out, the 'lesions' I guess, were too far inside of my cervix to freeze it off. My friend had lesions, too, and she said that when they froze hers off it was no big deal at all. I think they did it in the doctor's office. So, even careful, responsible people need to just take this one more responsible step and get their check-ups.
I still have a question, personally. I guess I'll have to ask my doctor for more information. She told me that I shouldn't get pregnant because part of my cervix was removed, but that I could still conceive, so I should be dilligent with birth control and not consider myself sterile. So, what would happen if I got pregnant? (NOT that I'm planning on it.) A miscarriage? What an awful thought.
