What happens after cryotherapy?
After cryotherapy, you’ll have some watery discharge that may last from a few days to several weeks. Other problems are very rare. Most of the time cryotherapy is very effective.
What do I need to do after cryotherapy treatment?
After cryotherapy, you’ll have a watery discharge that can last from a few days to several weeks. Your discharge might be heavy, and there might be a little blood in it. Be sure to drink lots of fluids to replace the water you’re losing.
Your doctor or nurse may tell you to not put anything in your vagina for a while. This gives your cervix time to heal and lowers your chances of infection.
Your nurse or doctor will probably want to do testing more often to monitor your cervix carefully. The problem could stay the same, get worse, or go away on its own or after treatment. Your doctor or nurse can discuss your best treatment plan with you.
Is cryotherapy safe?
Most people don’t have any serious cryotherapy side effects. Rarely, however, problems can happen. These include:
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fainting
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flare up of an existing pelvic infection
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heavy bleeding
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freeze burns in the vagina
Call your doctor right away if you have:
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heavy bleeding
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severe pain in your belly
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fever (temperature 100.4 F or higher) or chills
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vaginal discharge that smells bad
Cryotherapy shouldn’t affect your ability to get pregnant in the future, unless a very rare complication occurs.
In a small number of cases, cryotherapy doesn’t completely remove the abnormal cells. This is more likely if the abnormal cells are deep in your cervix. If this happens, you might need to get cryotherapy again, or different treatment.
Cryotherapy During Pregnancy
Doctors usually wait until after you give birth to treat abnormal cervical cells. Delaying treatment is usually safe because it generally takes a long time for abnormal cervical cells to become cancerous.
Are there other treatments that prevent cervical cancer?
Yes. Other treatments include:
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LEEP — using a small electrical wire loop to remove abnormal cells from your cervix.
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Laser — using a laser beam to remove abnormal cells.
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Cone biopsy — cutting a cone-shaped wedge of tissue out of your cervix and testing it in a lab.