WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for February, 2003: Re: Pls Help doctors! Re: Abnormal Pap and HPV

Re: Pls Help doctors! Re: Abnormal Pap and HPV

From: anonymous@obgyn.net
Tue, 18 Feb 2003 16:18:47 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: Erika: "Re: Pls Help doctors! Re: Abnormal Pap and HPV"

Worried,

I'm not an expert, I can give you my experience... The latest thinking on HPV is that it's what causes the vast majority of cervical cancers... but just because you have HPV, doesn't mean that you'll get cervial cancer. My last gynie said that soon, they would only be doing HPV tests rather than doing paps at all since this seemed a better indicator of your risks for cancer. I had a pap done and it was clear. A year later, I was CIN II - CIN III which is very aggressive. If I hadn't done the pap, that very well could have escalated to cervical cancer. The HPV test should tell you what type of HPV you are... there are over 70 types of HPV and some are far more aggressive than others. I was HPV positive on the 2 major types.

Since you signed your posting "Worried", call back the doctor back and ask her what type of HPV you are. There is lots of information on the net about HPV these days. There is also new thinking in that once you have HPV AND get cervial dysplasia, you're chances of developing dysplasia decrease. I don't know how much weight to put into that. I'm glad that your last doctor asked you to come back in 3 months. With HPV and any form of dysplasia, you need to follow up with paps every 3 months for a year, then every 6 months for a year and then back to an annual basis.

Don't be thinking about this as HIV. It's not. I was just as freaked out as you are. But you will be fine as long as you vehemently continue with your paps on schedule. I assure you, any girlfriend of mine that squirms at getting a pap done, hears very stern warnings from me. My gynie was stunned at how aggressively mine progressed in just one year but I had a cold knife cone biopsy done and I've been great ever since.

A colposcopy doesn't hurt at all and for your peace of mind, I would go ahead with that. I had an abnormal pap come back 9 months after the CKC biospy but the colposcopy showed everything to be clear.

I know what you're going through but it will be OK.

Hope I have helped. Audrey

Next message: teardrop: "bumps on vagina"
Previous message: Adriana: "pregnancy"
In reply to: Erika: "Re: Pls Help doctors! Re: Abnormal Pap and HPV"

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