Treatment for pre-cancer (CIN) and for very early cancer is straightforward. You can expect to recover quickly and will soon be back to normal.

If you have more extensive surgery it may take several weeks or months before you feel completely well again. The exact after-effects of your operation will depend on the type of surgery you have. If your ovaries are removed, your menopause will start.

Radiotherapy treatment can irritate the bladder and bowel, and sometimes these problems carry on after treatment has finished. Radiotherapy may also affect your sex life, although this isn't always the case. For example, radiotherapy sometimes makes the vagina narrower, and this could make sex uncomfortable – but it is now possible to prevent this problem. Radiotherapy will also make your menopause start.

Chemotherapy may make you feel tired and unwell, although not all patients experience this. The effects will gradually wear off once treatment has finished. If you have chemotherapy and radiotherapy together, the side-effects are normally worse.

Your doctor and nurse will tell you in detail about what may happen in your case, and explain what help is available. If you have any questions or worries, please don't be afraid to ask