Private Colposcopy
Consultant-led
Chelsea Clinic

A colposcopy is an outpatient examination that lets a consultant look closely at your cervix. You lie on a couch as you would for a smear test, a speculum is passed, and the consultant examines the cervix through a colposcope, a lit magnifying instrument that stays outside your body and never goes inside you. A dilute acetic acid or iodine solution is applied so any abnormal cells show up clearly. The examination takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

For most women a colposcopy feels much like a smear test, uncomfortable rather than painful. If a small biopsy is taken you may feel a brief pinch or a short period-type cramp. Taking simple pain relief about an hour beforehand helps. Tell your consultant if you find examinations difficult, because there is a lot that can be done to make it easier, including a smaller speculum and going entirely at your pace.

Almost always no. An abnormal smear means some cells on the cervix have changed, usually because of HPV, a very common virus that most people clear on their own. These cell changes are not cancer. They are picked up so they can be monitored or treated long before they could ever become a problem, which is exactly what cervical screening is designed to do. A colposcopy tells your consultant how significant the changes are and what, if anything, needs doing.

At Ovara Health a colposcopy is £856, which covers the examination and any biopsy, polypectomy or vulvoscopy carried out at the same time. A new consultant appointment is £300 and a follow-up to go through your results is £260. If treatment is needed, cauterisation of the cervix including LLETZ loop diathermy is £1,022 and a cone biopsy is £1,040. Laboratory analysis of a tissue sample starts at £363. Every price is confirmed with you before anything is booked.

Most patients are offered an appointment within 48 hours of getting in touch, including Saturdays. Colposcopy is carried out at the Fulham Road clinic in Chelsea, so there is no separate hospital waiting list and no second trip to a different location. If you have had an abnormal result and do not want to wait for an NHS appointment, call 020 7751 4488 and reception will find you the earliest suitable time.

No. You can book directly as a self-pay patient without a GP letter or referral. Bring your smear or HPV result letter if you have one, because it helps your consultant see exactly what was found. If you are claiming on private health insurance, your insurer will usually ask for a referral for pre-authorisation, and our reception team can help you arrange it.

It depends on the grade. Low-grade changes, often called CIN 1, usually return to normal by themselves and are simply rechecked after a period of monitoring. High-grade changes, CIN 2 or CIN 3, are normally treated with LLETZ, a short outpatient procedure using a fine heated wire loop under local anaesthetic to remove the affected area of the cervix. LLETZ takes about 15 minutes, you go home the same day, and it is highly effective. Your consultant will explain which applies to you and why.

If no biopsy is needed, your consultant can often tell you what they saw at the end of the examination. Where a biopsy is taken, laboratory results are usually available within one to two weeks and are explained to you by your consultant at a follow-up appointment rather than sent as a letter you have to interpret on your own.

Most women go straight back to their normal day. If a biopsy was taken you may have light bleeding or a brownish discharge for a few days, which comes from the solution used during the examination, along with some period-type cramping. Use pads rather than tampons and avoid intercourse for a few days, or as advised. Contact the clinic if bleeding becomes heavy, you develop a temperature, or the discharge becomes offensive.

It is better not to. Bleeding makes the cervix harder to see clearly, so try to book a date when you are not on your period. Light spotting is usually fine. If your period arrives unexpectedly, call reception and the appointment can be moved rather than wasted.

Yes. Colposcopy is safe in pregnancy and does not harm your baby or cause miscarriage. Your consultant will normally examine the cervix and, unless there is a clear clinical reason not to, delay any biopsy or treatment until after you have given birth. Tell reception you are pregnant when you book so the appointment is planned properly.

A colposcopy and a small biopsy have no effect on your fertility at all. LLETZ removes a small amount of cervical tissue and, for most women, has no impact on getting pregnant. Where a larger or repeated excision is needed there can be a slightly increased chance of preterm birth, so your consultant will discuss this with you openly beforehand and take it into account when planning your treatment.

Usually yes, because colposcopy is investigation of a symptom or an abnormal screening result rather than routine screening itself. All major insurers are accepted here, including Bupa, Aviva, Vitality, WPA and Cigna. Check your policy and get pre-authorisation before you book, as your insurer will normally ask for a GP referral first. Self-pay patients are equally welcome.