Age 27 – Post LEEP

 This is a photo from a 27 year old woman taken 3 weeks after a LEEP procedure. 

She has had five vaginal births and is currently breastfeeding at four months postpartum. She is not using birth control or other hormones.  

A recent pap smear had revealed high risk HPV and her colposcopy revealed stage 3 cervical cancer. The doctor decided to do an extensive LEEP procedure under OR anesthesia to remove the cancerous cervical tissue. The doctor used sutures to control the extensive bleeding.

The pathology report deemed that the margins were clear, meaning the edges of the tissue removed didn’t contain any abnormal or cancerous cells – this is reassuring that the diseased tissue was fully removed.  She plans to have a hysterectomy once she is finished breastfeeding to prevent any reccurence of this cancer.

Three weeks after the LEEP procedure, the woman revisited the surgeon because her cervix wasn’t healing as anticipated and was still bleeding. The doctor applied silver nitrate to stop the bleeding. Silver nitrate is a chemical compound that cauterizes tissue; it is usually applied with a swabbed stick and can stop bleeding by sealing off small blood vessels. This photo was taken during that visit.

What you can see in the photo

• In the bottom of the photo, a clear plastic speculum holds open the vagina to visualize the cervix.
• The beige area at 3:00 – 6:00 on the cervix is the scab breaking down and indicates that the cervix is healing.
• The partially-disolved sutures that remain are also visible on the left side of the cervix – they look like grey and white loops or hooks (between 9:00 – 11:00 of the cervix face).