What they do is put acetic acid on your cervix which causes the cells to fill with water, making light unable to pass through the cells. Then they take a scope with a bright light on the end and position it to look at the cervix. Areas that show up as white are abnormal and the more white an area is, the more infected it is. That's it. It takes like 10 minutes and you're out the door.
i had one and i really wouldn't say it was painful. more just being uncomforable as any internal exam would be.
