Pregnancy After LEEP: Is There a Risk?
Saturday January 5, 2008
One of the most common questions I receive from women with cervical dysplasia is how having a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) may affect their ability to get pregnant and sustain a pregnancy. LEEP is a method frequently used to treat high grade cervical dysplasia. Uncommonly, a LEEP may also be used to treat very early stage cervical cancer and may be used to diagnose the disease. During a LEEP procedure, a wire loop electrode with an electrical current is used to remove abnormal tissue from the cervix.
Read About the LEEP Procedure:
Have You Gotten Pregnant After Having a LEEP? We want to hear from you! Did the LEEP have any effect on your pregnancy? Share your story in the comments section below!
Photo (c) Brent Allison
Comments
I had a baby 4 years after a leep procedure and have had clear paps every year since. Its been 12 years since the procedure and my son is 8 years old now. No problems whatsoever.
I had a leep procedure 10 years ago and got pregnant about a year or so after then had a miscarriage, I then got pregnant a year later and had my son who is now 7 then had another son 5 years ago. It may have amde it a bit harder to get pregnant in the beginning but then everything was fine.
I HAD A LEEP DONE WHILE I WAS FOUR MONTHS PREGNANT. MY AND MY BABY ENDED UP JUST FINE. I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT PREGNANCY OR MY SECOND PREGNANCY 6 YRS. LATER.I WAS ONLY 19 AT THE TIME AND I THANK GOD EVERYDAY ME AND MY BABY WERE OKAY:)
I had Cervical Dysplasia, CIN III, I had a colposcopy, a leep, a colposcopy, and then a clear pap. I was pregnant last November, it ended in a miscarriage at 8weeks. I am not 15 weeks pregnant, and everything appears to be normal, so far.
My college roomie had a LEEP 4 years ago and is pregnant w/ twins due in 09/2007. I had my LEEP two weeks ago and have been advised that it shouldn’t hurt my fertility or chances of carrying a baby to term. I hope to be pregnant soon!
i had a leep done when i was 13 years ago and has had 6 misscarriages.i was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix. i am now 32 wks pregnant with a cerclage placed at 22 wks because my cervix was unable to handle the weight of the baby. so i honestly feel because of that leep then a bopsy after really messed me up.
I had a leep procedure in 1999. I then got pregnant in 2001. I did not have any problems during my pregnancy until I was 7 months along. I was diagnosed with Borderline Ovarian Cancer. Ended up having a hysterectomy, but feel very blessed to have my beautiful daughter!
I have had two LEEP procedures within a month of each other back in 2003. Since then, I have given birth to twin boys in 2006. I had no problems carrying my twins and no problems since. My boys and I are doing very well.
I have had 2 miscarriages and was told I would never be able to get pregnant after the last one then I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and after tryinf several different procedures the dr. had done a LEEP procedure on me in 1997 and to my amaizment I conceive my first child a girl born 1998 healthy and I felt great then I became pregnant again giving birth to a bundle of joy my 8 lb 2 oz. son on Jan. 01, 2000 and I can say my checkups have been clear every year sense with no problems.
LEEPs can cause preterm labor due to a incompetent cervix. I was not aware of this and delivered at 28 weeks. If you have had a LEEP in the past 2 years of becoming pregnant push your OB to do further testing (early ultra sound to check length of cervix and possible cerclage). It may seem a hassle for the low risk of pre-term labor. But if you can avoid time in the NICU with a sick baby then it is worth it.
In 2002 (already had 2 kids) I had stage 4 dysplasia. I then had a biopy,colopscopy,LEEP. 3 months later it came back a stage3, so I had it all done again. I had my baby in 2006. I had difficulty dilating due to scar tissue and had to have “medical intervention” to dilate. It took me 24 hours to dilate to 10cm. My previous deliveries I dilated in 4-6 hours. It was harder but well worth it. I’m now begging my hubby for baby #4!
I thank you women for your comments! I have one son and after he was born I had a Leep done on my cervix in 2005. I have been trying to get preg. for two years and still nothing I was scared my cervix wouldn’t be able to hold up during preg. but you women give me new hope! I wll keep trying and promise to keep you posted!
I had a LEEP in 2004 after my son was born. I am now 11 weeks pregnant, three years later. My doctor is not concerned about this child but, he want to do an ultrasound every two months.
I have just had the leep treatment and found out 2day i am pregant.I also had the treatment 4 yr ago and lost my baby born in May at 20wks I have 2 say there was no reason found for his death.So as you can imadgine I an really scared at the min I will keep you posted on how the pregnancy is going xx
I have had two LEEP procedures (2001 and 2005). I am currently 11 weeks pregnant. The doctor is going to do more frequent cervix measurements and I have the potential to need a cerclage. My best friend has also had two LEEP’s and had a baby a year ago with no complications. She is 13 weeks pregnant again.
I had my first LEEP in 2001 and my second in 2005. I had abnormal paps every time I went to the OBGYN between these 2 LEEPS and even after the 2nd one. I also had several biopsies and colposcopys along the way. I finally started having normal paps in late 2006 and am now 18 weeks pregnant w/ my first child. My OB did a cerclage at 15 weeks because of my past history. I hope and pray that I carry my son to term or until the stitches are removed. Pregnancy can happen, you may just need a cerclage to prevent 2nd trimester miscarriages. Good luck to all!
i have always had adnormal paps which led to me having a colposcopy done twice and finally a leep back in april of this year(2007). having just turned 21 i am looking to settle down soon and was scared that i might not be able to have kids when i finally find that special someone…after reading these i am left with hope. while i am still keeping in the back of my mind the possibility that there might be a problem i know that there have been so many of you before me that have over come it!!! thank you for your strength and courage!
when i was pregnant with my daughter i was diagnosed with an abnormal pap concerning cancerous cells high grade. my daughter was born 9 weeks early but 14 weeks early in size only. after she was born a biopsy and a colposcolpy was performed and i am now waiting about 2 more weeks for my LEEP. i am scared about the risks but after reading everyones comments i hope that when i get pregnant again the baby and i will be healthy. wish me luck and thank you all
I was 28 yrs old when I had an abnormal pap come back(after many years of not seeing a MD for yearly PAP tests) and also through testing discovered I had HPV. After the biopsy I had a LEEP. It was scarry to go through it but had no realy problems afterward and just was more deligent on going for annuals. In 2004 my husband and I found out I was pregnant. My OBGYN already knew and prepared me and took all the necessary steps like more visits and measuring of the cervix and more ultrasounds. I was prepared for the worst(like miscarrage/cerclage/bed rest) but it turned out I was over due date and after inducing I could not dilate so had C-Section. My daughter and I were and are fine. OBGYN said my cervix was narrowed so no way to even put one finger through it. Now I am 6 months pregnant with my 2nd child. Planning another C-Section since OB told me no way to go vaginally due to before and cervix narrowed. So far no issues and OB is backing off this time with my restrictions(lifting/activity/sex) from last pregnancy but still monitoring with ultrasounds and visits. No issues and plan to have C-Section in late April. There is hope after this and I have had no further abnormal paps come back as well. I am a an oncology social worker and help people dealing with all forms of cancer, especially cervical, and it is always my fear it will come back. If anything I think this experience has given me some perspective and knowledge I can share and hopefully one day can make a difference in someones life, including my daughters.
Had a LEEP done end of August 2007. Found out a couple days later that I was pregnant. I had a pre-term birth at 20 weeks due to cervical incompetence. I had an ultrasound only 2 weeks before the miscarriage and everything was o.k.(cervical length). Dr. says that next time I get pregnant he will do a cerclage at approx. 12 weeks i think it was. At this point, i wish i would have demanded a cerclage. Although, i don’t think doctors really do them until you have a miscarriage. I think the miscarriage could have been prevented - but i’m not a doctor. . ..
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I had a L.E.E.P. done when I was 21 years old for ASCUS cells on my cervix. Almost exactly a year later I found out I was pregnant. I had no complications during my pregnancy, and delivered a healthy 8 lb 5 oz baby boy on his due date! Two and a half years later I had another healthy baby boy, also born on his due date, with no complications!
I am currently going through the abnormal cells all over again. I have been giving the option to have a L.E.E.P. or cryotherapy, but am going to wait another 3 months to see if my next Pap comes back normal. (this is the second time in a year it has been abnormal, and I have also had a colposcopy within this same year). I am hopeful that even if I have to have another L.E.E.P. that I will have the same success as with my first two pregnancies the next time.
I had severe dysplasia in 2002 not caused by HPV and then had a colposcopy and LEEP done. I got pregnant eight months later and although my doctor had my history I never put the two together. Dumb sounding, but with being pregnant I had a lot on my mind. Anyway, the pregnancy was fairly normal, I had placental problems and he stopped growing in the eighth month, not sure if LEEP was cause, but I had to be induced and then I only dialated to three and would go no further. Eventually, due to baby’s heart rate I had an emergency c-section. I never would have thought the LEEP was to blame until now. I am researching cause here I am six years later and going to have another LEEP, I am very worried about the effect on future pregnancy.
I had a LEEP Procedure in 2002, and got pregnant in 2005. I lost this baby at 16 weeks, due to a subchorionic hematoma. It wasn’t until this year, 2008, that it was even brought to my attention that this LEEP may have been a contributing factor to my sons death. My only wish is that I would have had this knowledge prior to the procedure.
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Hi,
I had dysplasia when I was three month pregnant with my third child.When she was born I had done LEEP.Year later I was pregnant for the fourth time.There was not any complications trough my pregnancy…just the labour.For 15 hours I was stack at 4cm and had a problem with dialeting because of scarr tissue.The doctor had to wrip the scarr and my son was born 10 min later.All is well since.
Hi,
I had a Leep procedure in 1998 and again in 2001. I got pregnant in 2006 and after 41 weeks I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The only problems I had becuase of the Leep were that I just didnt dilate as quickly as I should because of the scar tissue, so I had a long, drawnout painful labor. Still it was worth it in the end to hold my daughter. My daughter is now 8 months old, and i´m 2 months pregnant with my second child so the procedure certainly didnt have an affect on my fertility.
Good luck to you all,
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I just was diagnosed with high grade abnormalities on my cervix and my doctor recommended a LEEP procedure. My husband and I were planning on starting a family soon and so I was so worried about the doctor’s warnings but all of you have given me so much Hope. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your stories!
I am going to get the LEEP procedure on Monday. My doctor says that there is not alot of cells on my cervix to remove so the scaring will be quite small.
Like so many of you, I am worried of the future results of falling pregnant. I recently just got married and my husband and I have been talking about having children in the next 2 years. I literally think of being pregnant every second and now knowing some of the risks of LEEP I think about it even more. I do hope that when we are both ready, I can come back here and give a good report like everyone else.
Thanks for posting and giving hope.
My husband and I had finally decided to begin trying to start a family when my pap came back abnormal. I couldn’t believe my luck because in all the years prior, my paps had always been normal. After a biopsy, it was determined that I had moderate-severe dysplasia. I had a LEEP in Oct. of 2006. I then had a normal repeat pap 3 months later. In Jan. 2007, I became pregnant. My doctor kept an eye on things and my pregnancy went fine. I did deliver 4 weeks early and my labor went extremely quick (due to my cervix thinning-my dr. said was a result of the LEEP), but I gave birth to a 6 1/2lb. healthy baby girl. Since my LEEP, I have had 3 noraml paps, but I am scheduled for another in a couple weeks, so I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed…we hope for more children in the future as well…
I have had 2 Leep procedures done 1st one was done Summer of 2007 and my 2nd leep was done about 4 months ago. Yesterday 04-16-08 I found out I was pregnant doing the math I am probably about 1 month along so no problems getting pregnant just hoping everying else is fine.
I had a colposcopy last July that came back with results of high grade pre-cancerous cells. I ended up getting a LEEP Sept. 2007 and was terrified that it would prevent me from getting pregnant or carrying full term. The last thing i asked my dr before going in for the LEEP was how long afterwards she recommended to wait before trying to get pregnant and she said atleast 6 months. I ended up getting pregnant in January and am currently 15 weeks along with TWINS. I try not to worry too much and listen to the dr’s when they tell me everything should be fine but I can’t help but wonder about miscarriage constantly. The supposedly having me on a close watch and I’m scheduled for an internal ultrasound in 2 weeks but I’m scared to death that something will go wrong at some point because of the LEEP….
I just gave birth to my second child 3 months ago and through both pregnancies have had abnormal pap results. I had a biopsy done after my second was born and my doctor determined I had mild to moderate abnormalities. Because of my pap history, my doctor decided to follow through with a LEEP. I was kinda sketchy at first, but now I am okay with the procedure. Thanks for all you hope and stories about this.My husband and I planned on waiting to have another child anyways, since our daughters are only 18 months apart!
I’m 17yrs of age I have been told I have pre-cancer cells. I go in again 5/22 for a Leep. I’m so worried i’d never think that this would happen to me. I have been pregnant before but I lost it at 3 and a half months. Im afraid i’ll never be able to get the joy of having a baby.
After an abnormal pap at my 6 week check up after my first child, i had a biopsy and colopscopy. It showed carcinoma in situ, which means cancer “in its place.” My OB-GYN did a LEEP and was able to remove all of the cancerous cells. Two months later, I got pregnant with my 2nd child and everything went perfect. It has been almost a year now with normal paps.
At 23 I had LEEP performed and a month later conceived my son. Had a great pregnancy, with exception to abnormal cells and biopsy in 4th month, delivered my son without problems 3 days before due date. That was in May 2002, we’ve been trying for another baby since 2004 with no interventions. I’m going to new specialist June 2008 to begin process of why I can’t conceive as my other dr said I should with no problems. It is frustrating, but I have HOPE that I can get pregnant again.
I had my colposcopy done over a month ago. It took 4 weeks for the Dr. to call with the results. I figured I was all clear since they didnt call right away. They called me last Thursday to say I have precancerous cells or “cervical dysplasia” and I need a LEEP procedure. They didnt tell me what stage of dysplasia I had. They scheduled my LEEP for Friday. They are injecting a local anasthetic and I will be awake. My main concern is that I wont be able to have children although the Dr. assured me that I will be. I already have a tilted uterus so my Dr. Said that it a minor setback. Does anyone know if the older you are minimizes your chances after a leep? I’m 26 and I’m scared that if I have the LEEP and I wait until I’m 30 to concieve that my chances will be nil. : (
My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for about 5 months when I went in and got my first abnormal pap result. I had a biopsy done this month and was diagnosed with moderate-severe dysplasia. I had the LEEP procedure done today. My doctor said if the pathology reports come back okay then I should continue to try to get pregnant in about a month. Everything I have read indicates part of the follow up testing after a LEEP procedure involves a year worth of pap smears, every 3 months. Should I wait and make sure I get some normal pap results first or should I be content with his advice? I worry that the dysplasia could come back and then I wouldn’t know b/c pap smears are not usually done during pregnancy (or so my friends have told me). Any advice is appreciated!
I got pregnant 5 years after having a LEEP done. There were no complications and the baby was full-term and healthy.
Hi I had a LEEP procedure done on february 26th 2008, i am now pregnant only 5 weeks i am spotting a lot, can the LEEP cause me to miscarry??? any answers would be welcomed please.
I had LEEP June 2008 and I had CIN 3. I worry a lot. But all your stories make me feel better.:)
i had the leep procedure about 8 years ago at about age 22 and I have since had a healthy normal pregnancy and pregnant now 28 weeks with twins
I just got a call from my doctor today that I have severe dysplasia and I go in a month for the LEEP procedure. For those that have had this procedure, does it hurt when they numb your cervix? I am totally freaking over that part.
I had my LEEP procedure 3 days ago and it doesn’t hurt when they numb your cervix. My doctor told me before she was going to do it and the only uncomfortable part for me was that my heart began to race really fast. I asked her if it was normal and she said that it was and it eventually slowed down. Don’t freak out, you will be fine! After reading all your stories, I feel much beeter!! Thanks!
I had a LEEP procedure in 2004 i had my first child in 2006. She came 3 weeks early and i’m currently 27 weeks pregnant with my second child and wondering if she will make an early appearance too!
Girls, please, when you leave your comment PLEASE, say whay level of dysplasia(CIN) you had.
Thank you
I have moderate dysplasia. I have LEEP scheduled for 8/13/2008. I’m thinking of getting preganant right away and delay the surgery till next year, because i relaly wnat to have baby. Is this such a big risk?
I had a LEEP six years ago in 2005 and became pregnant end of last year. They constantly checked me during pregnancy and I seemed to be doing fine but then delivered at 34 weeks. They don’t know what necessarily caused it but now… 3 months after the pregnancy and six YEARS after the surgery - I have an abnormal pap with a colposcopy scheduled for next week.
Someone said the rise in hormones can kick start cancer/precancer again and honestly - i think it has. No other reason why I should be getting this again six years later. I havent even had sex in 10 months!
Im 37, had a LLERTZ after a CIN1 diagnose after delivery of my second child & this was 5 yeras ago. It is now about a year since I have been trying to get pregnant but still not concieving. Has this afected my fatility?
On 7/7/08 my Dr. told me I had CIN 3. I was really devestated because my husband and I were planning on having another child soon. On 7/18/08 I went in Loop Electrical Excision….(LEEP). I was really depresed before this and I got my results today and everything is fine except that my Dr. says there is a possibility I might have cervical cancer and she would like me to get a hysterectomy…I was really upset because I’m only 25….I looked up all over the internet and according to NYU medical the chances of it comming back in 10%…I am planning on getting pregnant in Oct. 2008 because according to studies that is the recommended time you should wait…. I am also very scared of having a miscarriage and hope everything goes fine..
i had a leep last year 2007 and now am 33 weeks pregnant =)
Hi ladys, back in 2003 i was diagnose with CIN 3. i had the leep procedure and i was told by my doctor that it is going to be hard for me to get pregnant because my wound is thin due to the procedure, i have be trying for years to have a baby, iam now 25, i need word of encouragement, was just diagnose with HPV but pap smears are normal and has been normal since procedure.