A diagnosis can be made visually, but should be done with a biopsy of the warts since it can be associated with cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. A diagnosis can be made with a Pap smear but should be followed up with a colposcopy. Twice over the last seven years I have had to have surgical procedure to remove this nasty annoyance from my cervical area. It is also the most common problem that I have found when speaking with HIV positive women. Dysplasia is a medical term used to describe abnormal development.
Cervical dysplasia is when there are abnormal cells growing in the cervix that are pre-cancerous.
CIN I, which is mild dysplasia, is when only a few cells are abnormal. CIN II is moderate dysplasia. In this stage the abnormal cells are about one-half of the thickness of the surface of the lining inside the cervix. CIN III is severe dysplasia. Here the cells are now just as thick as the lining of the cervix and are cancerous but have not spread to the surface.