WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for August, 1998: Re: sults of pap smear

Re: sults of pap smear

From: Patti Tessler, FNP (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sat, 29 Aug 1998 21:59:50 -0500 (CDT)

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In reply to: cheryl: "results of pap smear"

At Tue, 4 Aug 1998, cheryl wrote: >
>trying to find out exactly what a low grade squamis lesion ephifileo is.
>Cant get in to see a gynocologist for 6 weeks.

It sounds like you had a pap that came back with the result "low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion," also known as LGSIL. This result means that abnormal cells were found on your cervix, but the result does not mean that cancerous cells were found. Depending on your history of pap results, sexual activity, and sexually transmitted diseases, your health care provider may suggest that you repeat the pap smear every six months for three smears, and have a colposcopy if any of those are abnormal. Sometimes the body will get rid of the cells on its own while you wait. On the other hand, the provider may offer you a colposcopy now.

During a colposcopy, the examiner uses an instrument called a colposcope, which looks a little like binoculars on a tripod, to look at your cervix while you're lying on the examining table in the usual stirrup position. The scope doesn't touch you, and the exam is painless. The examiner may put some white vinegar on your cervix, because doing so can make the abnormal parts of the cervix stand out better. Last, the examiner may take a couple of samples, called biopsies, of the cervical tissue and send them to the pap lab for a closer look. Taking the samples can be painful, but the pain is brief.

If the biopsies come back showing abnormalities, your health care provider may recommend that you get treatment to remove the irregular cells. This treatment may be with cold (cryosurgery) or with a laser (LEEP), and is often done in the provider's office.

Because abnormal pap smears are often caused by infection with a virus called HPV, you may want to read up on this virus (you can search this site for information). HPV is the virus that causes genital warts, and it also may cause cervical problems. You can have cervical problems without ever having a wart, and vice versa. Many, many people in this country have the virus and don't even know it. Because it is a virus, keeping your immune system strong can help your body to fight the infection and keep your cervix healthy. Cigarette smoking, in particular, seems to be a kind of "fertilizer" for HPV-related changes on the cervix, so if you smoke, you should quit.

Many women become concerned that they have to wait to follow up on an abnormal pap. Six weeks is a long time to wait to ask questions, but it is not a long time to wait to follow up on this pap result. I hope you will call your provider, or write here again, if you have further questions before your appointment.

--
Patti Tessler, BSN, MSN, RN, CS
Family Nurse Practitioner

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