What is a Vaginoscopy?
A Vaginoscopy is a procedure to examine the vagina.
In children this is performed under general anaesthetic (with the child asleep) in theatre. A small thin video camera (like a telescope) is inserted into the vaginal opening. Warm sterile water is used to fill the vagina so the camera can safely see the whole vagina.
If there is an area of the vagina that looks abnormal then a small sample (biopsy) can be taken with a small surgical instrument that’s passed through the vaginoscopy.
- If a child has vaginal discharge that doesn’t improve with management recommendations.
- If a child has vaginal bleeding before puberty.
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If there is a worry that a child has a small object inside the vagina (eg. Toilet paper or a small toy). Foreign bodies in the vagina can lead to irritation and problems with bleeding and discharge.
A small surgical instrument can be inserted down the vaginoscope to remove any foreign bodies. If the object is larger the gynaecology team will carefully remove this with surgical instruments directly.
The actual vaginoscopy will generally take a few minutes but the whole procedure will be more like an hour. This includes time for the anaesthetic doctor to put the child to sleep, time to be moved into theatre and into position, time to wake up from the anaesthetic and be moved into recovery.
The gynaecology team will see you with your childafter the procedure to explain findings and on-going care plan. Typically, a child can go home a few hours after the procedure. This is when they are feeling well, have been able to pass urine and have been able to drink. Most children after this procedure would be able to return to normal daily activities the next day.
The risks of this procedure are very low. The vaginoscopy camera links to a TV screen in theatre so that the gynaecologist can see where they are inserting the camera. This means that the risk of causing an injury to the vagina is rare.
Some watery or blood stained discharge can be seen after the procedure. It’s rare for there to be infection or bleeding because of the vaginoscopy.
If after vaginoscopy a child has persistent discharge or bleeding, or the bleeding becomes heavy or smelly then they should have a review with GP or local emergency department.
Paediatrics admissions are on either paediatrics ward (T11) or adolescent ward (T12) in the main hospital.
Page last updated: 08 April 2025
Review due: 01 April 2027