“It is normal after a colposcopy with a biopsy to have a small amount of spotting or light bleeding,” explains Lindsay Appel, MD, an OB-GYN with the Family Childbirth & Children’s Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
What about heavy bleeding after a colposcopy?
“I usually tell patients that if they experience bleeding that is heavier than a period following a colposcopy, that is not expected and to come in for evaluation,” says Dr. Appel.
Heavy Bleeding Defined
Dr. Appel explains, “Heavy bleeding is generally defined as bleeding soaking through a large pad in faster than an hour for more than two hours in a row. In addition, bleeding should not persist more than seven to 10 days following a colposcopy.”
If a biopsy was not taken during this procedure, a woman many still experience some spotting or even light bleeding.
If a biopsy was taken during the colposcopy, there of course will be the expected small amount of blood, but there may also be a dark discharge.
This dark discharge is actually a paste that the doctor uses – called Monsel’s paste – to assist with the procedure. Afterwards it may be discharged from your vagina.
Do not use a tampon to catch any discharge.
Dr. Appel says, “The best thing for a woman to do if she is experiencing heavy or prolonged bleeding following a colposcopy or biopsy procedure is to make a follow-up visit with her physician so that an exam can be performed.”
