Colposcopy, with or without biopsies, can safely be done during pregnancy as it doesn’t increase risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Colposcopy is a procedure that follows certain abnormal pap smears and allows your ob-gyn provider to visualize the cervix under magnification and better determine abnormal areas for site-specific biopsies when needed. Most of the time, colposcopy and associated biopsies are only necessary when the risk of high-grade abnormality is great enough based on the pap smear and associated HPV testing (if done).
It’s important to know that colposcopy during pregnancy is a bit more challenging because of the appearance of the cervix during pregnancy (even early on). Make sure your ob-gyn provider is comfortable doing it during pregnancy.
Lastly, if colposcopy is deferred until after pregnancy or a repeat colposcopy is needed after pregnancy, you should wait until at least four weeks postpartum to allow your cervix to heal following delivery.
