Since a pap smear is just for screening, it can 'trigger' the need for another test called a ‘colposcopy’.
“Colpo” might sound “Greek” because it is Greek! “Colpo” is Greek for ‘cervix’. Cervix is Latin for the bottom of your uterus. A "Colpo-scopy" is looking at your cervix ("colpo") with a ‘scope’. In this case, the “scope” is really just a pair of binoculars!
Performing a colposcopy is the same as a pap smear, but instead of looking at the cervix and vagina with the ‘naked eye’, we look through the special binoculars (“scope”) to see if we can find any funny-looking patches of skin. Heinz™ vinegar works great to help see these patches of skin! Don’t ask Dr. Lewis where that could have come from, but she only uses ‘the best’ for her patients and that means we only use Heinz™! Vinegar reacts with the skin to make it brighter. It does not hurt. Rarely, a patient may say she feels burning or stinging – but not enough to say she is uncomfortable or that it lasts very long.
There is a biopsy involved, but it is so small that most people don’t know we did it! The actual size is about the size of this orange star: (*).
It takes about a week to receive your results – Call or email us if you do not hear anything. We will always notify you whether it was normal or not.