Pregnancy Complications with LEEP
What You Need to Know about this Cervical Treatment before Pregnancy
A popular method for treating pre-cancerous cells in a woman's cervix is a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). Often when an abnormal result on a PAP smear comes back, the medical provider may recommend a LEEP procedure to remove these cells.
A LEEP procedure is performed by giving the woman a local anesthetic in the cervical area, then a wire loop which is electrically charged is inserted vaginally. The loop then acts as a scalpel to remove a thin layer of cell tissue from the cervical area. A LEEP procedure will typically take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Some women may experience mild discomfort during and after the procedure so it is important to discuss options for pain relief with your care provider.
If your provider has recommended this procedure, it is very important that you also know the long-term risks to you in possible future pregnancies. Research on LEEP procedures indicates that women are at an increased risk of preterm labor by 70%. The LEEP procedure also increases the mother's chances of having a low birthweight baby by 82%.
The same study also compared a LEEP to other treatments for cervical pre-cancerous cells. Another treatment known as a cold knife conization increased the risk of preterm birth and low birthweight infants by two and a half times. The cold knife conization procedure also tripled a woman's risk of cesarean. The only cervical treatment that did not increase pregnancy complications was a laser ablation.
It is important to remember that the LEEP procedure as well as other treatments for pre-cancerous tissue, do leave scar tissue in and around the cervix. This may be one reason why there is an increased risk of preterm birth since it may weaken the cervix's capability of remaining closed until the mother reaches term. Scar tissue can also act as a barrier to cervical dilation. Scar tissue does not allow the cervix to open and could prevent the mother from progressing in labor or even in some cases, increase the mother's chance of having a cesarean. Be sure you are fully informed of the long-term consequences of these cervical treatments.
What choices do you have to avoid these treatments? Some experts are leaning toward prevention when possible. Rather than treating pre-cancerous lesions after they form, more physicians are encouraging their young female patients to get the HPV vaccine instead. The HPV vaccine is now recommended from the age of 9-26, or prior to becoming sexually active, as a way to prevent genital warts and most forms of cervical cancer.
LEEP Procedure
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