Colposcopy Clinic

• List of all medications you are currently taking.
  This includes prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamin or mineral supplements and herbal remedies. See also: My First Appointment at UHN »
• A trusted friend or family member.
  A friend or family member can give you emotional support and can help you make good choices. They can also help you gather information, take notes and ask questions.
• Questions to ask.
  Bring a list of questions to your appointment to help you remember everything you want to ask. See also: Treatment Decision-Making and Questions to Ask »

• First appointments can take 30 minutes or longer. 
• Follow-up appointments usually take 15 to 30 minutes.

We do our best to stay on time. Unfortunately, your appointment may be delayed by unforeseen circumstances. We recommend that you come prepared for delays. For example, make sure your arrangements for things like babysitting, elder care and parking can accommodate a longer than usual appointment.

After your appointment, the nurse or doctor will tell you about your next visit. Be sure you understand what is going to happen next. For example, know the time and place of your next visit or if someone will call you with this information.

If you are unsure about what your next steps are, don’t be afraid to ask a member of your team. We are there to help you.​

We understand that reaching us by phone can sometimes be difficult. Often our phone lines are busy or are turned over to the message centre so clinic staff can prepare for clinic visits or help other patients.

We make every effort to return your call within 24 hours. Our staff will try to reach you 2 times. If we are not able to reach you directly – and you do not have an answering machine for us to leave a message – you may need to call us again.​

It is very important to keep your follow-up appointments. Your doctor will check to see that the treatment has been successful.

Please keep your appointments with us even if you have your menstrual period, unless your flow is extremely heavy. If you need to change an appointment because of your menstrual period, please call 416 323 7744.

During the follow-up appointment, your doctor will most likely do a Pap test and a colposcopy examination. While you are coming to the Colposcopy Clinic you do not need to have your regular Pap tests done elsewhere. Your doctor will tell you when you should return to your family doctor for routine Pap tests.

The Papanicolaou test (also called cervical cytology, a Pap test, Pap smear, cervical smear or smear test) is a quick and simple test used to look for any changes in the cells of the cervix. First a speculum is inserted to open the walls of the vagina. A tiny plastic spatula is used to gently scrape cells from the outer opening of the cervix and the endocervix. The cells are examined under a microscope to look for abnormalities.

Most abnormal Pap tests don’t mean that you have a serious problem. An abnormal test does mean that you need further testing. Regular Pap tests can find abnormalities or changes in the cervix before cancer develops. Most abnormal Pap tests result from precancerous changes called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical dysplasia. These precancerous changes can be detected easily and treated successfully. Most precancerous changes are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common family of viruses that is passed between people through sexual activity, including almost any close skin-to-skin genital contact. Most people (about 80%) will have HPV at some time in their lives, and almost all HPV infections resolve on their own within about 2 years.

There are 2 types of HPV infections:

• Low-risk: The low-risk types of HPV can cause genital warts. They can also cause minor abnormalities on your Pap test, but these abnormalities most often clear on their own in women with normal immune systems. The low-risk strains of HPV do not cause cervical cancer.
• High-risk: Infection with the high-risk type of HPV can cause a series of precancerous abnormalities in the cervix. It can lead to cervical cancer if it is not detected and treated. Having high-risk HPV does not mean you will develop cervical cancer.

Most women who are exposed to HPV do not develop cervical cancer. Getting Pap tests regularly finds abnormal cells and helps prevent cervical cancer.

HPV testing checks for the presence of high-risk HPV types. HPV testing is not recommended for everyone and almost never for women under 30 years of age. The HPV test​ is used to assist you and your health care team in deciding what the best treatment options are for you.

Learn more about HPV »