Patients with chronic vulvar pruritis (itching), as well as patients with vulvar dystrophy, genital warts or suspicious vulvar lesions, undergo colposcopic evaluation and vulvar/cervical biopsy in the office prior to the initiation of therapy.

The colposcope allows the evaluation of the vulva/cervix with illuminated, high magnification lenses. A 4 or 6 mm punch biopsy of the vulva is often obtained under local anesthesia.