Laser treatment for abnormal cells in the vagina

You may have laser treatment to treat abnormal cells in the lining of the vagina. These abnormal cells are called vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN).

What is laser treatment?

A laser is a very thin, hot beam of light that can focus very accurately on tiny areas. 

Your doctor can use the laser beam to remove the abnormal cells in the vagina by gently burning them away. This is called laser ablation or vaporisation.

An advantage of using a laser is that it seals off the blood vessels as it treats the area. This can help reduce the risk of bleeding.

Preparing for laser treatment

Your appointment letter will tell you where to go and if you need to do anything to prepare. You might have laser treatment in a day treatment centre or as an outpatient appointment. 

If you take blood thinning medication you might need to stop these before your treatment. Check with the department beforehand if you are not sure.

Before the treatment, your doctor will explain the procedure to you and ask you to sign a consent form. This is a good time to ask any questions you may have.

You might have laser treatment under:

• local anaesthetic - you have medicine to numb the area being treated

• sedation - you have medicine to make you sleepy

• general anaesthetic - you are asleep while you have the treatment

How you have it

To start, you undress your lower half or you may have a gown to put on. You then lie on your back on a couch with your legs raised up in stirrups. You have a sterile sheet over your waist and pelvic area. Your doctor puts a speculum into your vagina to hold it open. They then put local anaesthetic onto your vaginal wall to numb the area. 

Your doctor may use a colposcope to see changes in the vagina that may be too small to see with the naked eye. A colposcope is a large magnifying glass that your doctor uses to look at the surface of the vagina. 

You might have some samples of tissue (biopsies) taken before the laser treatment. Your doctor sends the samples to the laboratory so that the cells can be examined.

Your doctor points the laser beam at the abnormal areas. The laser burns away the abnormal area, so you may notice a slight burning smell during the treatment. This is nothing to worry about. It is just the laser working.

After laser treatment

After your laser treatment, you can go home the same day. If you have sedation or general anaesthetic someone will need to take you home and stay with you for 24 hours.

You can get back to your usual activity soon afterward. But people recover at different rates and some people need more time than others. Your nurse will go through what to expect after your treatment. 

You may have period type pains for the rest of the day. Simple painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen usually help.

It is normal to have some bleeding or discharge for some days after the treatment. Use a sanitary towel rather than tampons. Check with your nurse or doctor when you can start using tampons again. Try to avoid heavy lifting or strenuous physical activity for a couple of weeks. This can cause heavy bleeding.

You should not have vaginal intercourse for about a month after treatment, while the area is healing. Ask your doctor or nurse when it’s safe to start having vaginal intercourse again. 

Some people may have more than one treatment. Your doctor will let you know if this applies to you.

Before you go home your nurse will tell you who to contact if you have any concerns or questions. They will also tell you what follow up appointments you may need.