The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is one of the most commonly used approaches to treat high grade cervical dysplasia (CIN II/III, HGSIL) and early stage cervical cancer discovered on colposcopic examination.

[4] Disadvantages include reports of decreased sexual satisfaction [5] and potential for preterm labor, though a meta-analysis published in 2014 suggested that in patients with existing CIN lesions as opposed to controls, the risk is not more than their baseline risk.

[7] When performing a LEEP, the physician uses a wire loop through which an electric current is passed at variable power settings.

[8] The LEEP technique results in some thermal artifact in all specimens obtained due to the use of electricity which simultaneously cuts and cauterizes the lesion, but this does not generally interfere with pathological interpretation provided depth is not exceeded.

As pregnancy is generally understood to be an immune suppressed state, the viral mediated character of cervical lesions might also inform revisions to treatment recommendations in such instances.