A colposcopy is a routine procedure performed after a woman has had one or more abnormal pap smears. A pap smear is a preliminary screening for cervical cancer and a colposcopy is a diagnostic procedure that allows the clinician to take a closer look at the cervix. During a colposcopy the clinician can determine exactly where the abnormalities are and take small tissue samples from those areas on the cervix. From the tissue samples it can be determined if treatment is necessary or if the cervix simply requires continued monitoring. In most cases treatment is not necessary.

Most women have at least one abnormal pap smear and many have one or more colposcopies over the course of their lifetime, but eventually suppress the abnormalities. Thanks to pap smears and colposcopies abnormalities can be caught and monitored, and abnormal cells that are many years away from developing into precancerous or even cancerous cells can be removed.