General information, not an individual diagnosis. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure about your situation.
In France, seek urgent care or call 15 for bleeding with fever, or heavy bleeding with faintness or marked weakness. After a missed period, bleeding with pelvic pain in someone of childbearing age also requires urgent care.
After an abnormal cervical test, the professional may offer colposcopy to examine the cervix more closely. This step clarifies the findings and does not by itself mean that cancer has been diagnosed.
The doctor places a speculum to see the cervix and vagina, then uses a lighted magnifying instrument called a colposcope. Liquids may be applied to the cervix to help identify areas needing assessment.
If an area appears abnormal, a biopsy may remove one or more small tissue samples for laboratory analysis. Ask whether sampling is planned, report any discomfort and clarify the instructions after your examination.
Bleeding after sex or between periods, pain during sex, clear or coloured vaginal discharge, lower abdominal or lower back pain, or discomfort when urinating needs medical assessment. Do not assume these symptoms are explained by the test result.
After a biopsy, mild cramps or light bleeding may occur. Ask which signs should prompt a call to the team and how to obtain the analysis result; the urgent situations described above must not wait for that result.
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