Understanding LEEP: A Guide to Cervical Health

Author: Jessica Lloyd
Senior Naturopath | BHSc(N) | ISSVD, ISSWSH, BSSM, ATMS

Last reviewed: November 17, 2025

LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) is a treatment for precancerous or cancerous cervical cells (high-grade cervical dysplasia), which is most often caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

There are other methods of removing the affected cervical tissue, including large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ).

LEEP allows the doctor to retain an intact specimen for later testing, but sometimes this doesn’t occur as planned – the sample may end up too damaged to test, or the lesions may are inaccessible.

Anyone who is pregnant is not permitted to undergo LEEP. LEEP has the benefit of cauterising (sealing with heat) any open blood vessels, so reducing unnecessary bleeding.

Reasons why a LEEP excision may be performed:

A colposcopy (viewing of the cervix) was unable to provide full visualisation of the extent of the lesions
Serious or extensive lesions
A lack of correlation between the results of other tests
A previous treatment was insufficient, and a recurrence has appeared

How LEEP is performed

A LEEP excision is usually an in-office procedure that uses only local anaesthesia.

Anaesthetic is injected into the cervix, with the person lying on their back with hips tilted and knees bent, as if they were in stirrups. Imagine an electrified cheese slicer taking off the top layer of cervical cells, leaving fresh cells underneath that are unaffected by HPV.

References^1,2

1.
Koutsky, PhD L. Epidemiology of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection. The American Journal of Medicine. Published online May 1997:3-8. doi:10.1016/s0002-9343(97)00177-0
2.
Paraskevaidis E, Kitchener HC, Miller ID, Mann E, Jandial L, Fisher PM. A population-based study of microinvasive disease of the cervix—A colposcopic and cytologic analysis. Gynecologic Oncology. Published online April 1992:9-12. doi:10.1016/0090-8258(92)90483-y