PREGNANCY-BIRTH Messages for December, 1998: Re: Confused!

Re: Confused!

From: lauren

anonymous@obgyn.net

Thu, 31 Dec 1998 13:22:12 -0600 (CST)

I'm not a doctor, but if your doctor is assuring you that there is no risk in having a biopsy, then why not have it?

Pap smears can come back with false negatives or false positives. That's why, I think, the doctors do them so often. I once had an abnormal pap, low level, but at the colposcopy, by doctor couldn't find anything abnormal either. Still, he did a biopsy. Turned out normal except for an infection that was treated with, I believe, clindamycin. That did a lot for my piece of mind. I went on to have a baby who was 9 days late, so obviously no damage was done to my cervix.

I don't think that a biopsy shows only cancer either (correct me if I'm wrong). You could turn out to have an infection of some sort that DEFINITELY needs resolving in order to be more assured of carrying a healthy baby to term. In my case, as noted above, I had an infection. Infections can cause pre-term labor.

I am interested to hear what the doctors have to say, but I think you should have the biopsy.

At Wed, 30 Dec 1998, Andrea wrote: >
>In May of 1997 after having my first child, I had cryosurgery due to
>mild to moderate dysplasia. I went in every 3 month of repeat paps.
>First two came back normal, last one this past August came back AGCUS -
>not ASCUS. Needless to say I was concerned how this could happen having
>two normal paps just 3 months apart. Anyway, a month after the pap came
>back AGCUS, I got pregnant. During this time I had to transfer doctors.
>My new doctor after reading my lab report for the AGCUS pap decided to
>do a repeat pap smear. This one came back completely normal two weeks
>or so ago. Even though this pap came back normal this doctor wanted to
>do a colposcopy, which I went along with. During the colposcopy, even
>though she couldn't find anyting suspicious, she wanted to do a biopsy
>just to make sure. She told me there was no risk to the baby having a
>biopsy. I have heard that there is a slight risk of miscarriage having
>biopsy's during pregnancy, who is right? She took a picture of my
>cervix, told me it looked perfectly normal and healthy. I didn't
>understand why she still wanted to do a biopsy after having my pap come
>back normal. I refused to have the biopsy since I am almost 20 weeks
>pregnant, and had my pap come back normal. My doctor got really upset,
>made me sign a paper releasing her of any fault if I or the baby end up
>dying because of cervical cancer. I do not think I have cervical
>cancer. My last pap came back normal, my cervix looked healthy and she
>couldn't find any abnormal cells on it. Did I do the right think in
>refusing the biopsy? I told her I would go along with the biopsy after
>the baby was born if my paps came back abnormal then. Is this normal
>procedure during a pregnancy to have biopsy's taken? I am very confused!
>Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

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