Abnormal Pap...As if I need anything else on my plate!!

Lane · 09-06-2009, 01:01 AM

I went to my yearly GYN exam in July and received a letter about 3 weeks later that my pap came back abnormal. They stated that it was "low grade" and that they would like me to come back for a colposcopy in Oct (which is the first available appt) to determine if I had an infection. My question is...what type of infection are they looking for? Yeast? HPV (though I thought this was a virus not an infection)? Is it safe to wait this long to find out what is going on? Can you develop cancer within that amount of time or does it take longer?

I have only had one other abnormal pap in my life and that was when I was pregnant with the twins in 2004. The pap came back as "low grade" and they performed a colposcopy with biopsy that turned out with "normal" results. I think during this time I also remember the Dr. saying something about it possibly being mild dysplasia.

After the colposcopy came back normal in 2004, all of my pap smears since then have been normal. That is, until this year.

I assumed my pap was abnormal in 04 because I was pregnant and my cervix was probably irritated when they did the pap. But perhaps it was the start of having problems down there. I have no idea.

Have any of you ever had an abnormal pap smear before? Is this common? I'm a little worried here...

Vixy · 09-07-2009, 08:18 AM

Last year I went through a stage of having borderline abnormal smears, after 3 borderline ones they referred me to the gynae who done a colpolscopy and then he said everything looked fine and done a biopsy and that was fine too. So now they are just keeping an eye on things and i'm having a smear every 6 months now. I don't know whether all of these issues are connected to PCOS or not but at least there is comfort in them noticing these things early and keeping an eye on them

As for timing's understandably you are anxious, i'm not sure whether you can develop cancer in that amount of time. I always thought it was quite slow in development for cervical cancer but don't take my word on that.

I'm intrigued to what the infection might be as like you say HPV is a virus. Why don't you give your gynae's secretary a call and voice your concerns with her. When I booked my appointment the secretary was lovely and stated if I ever had any concerns then just to give them a call.

Sorry this isn't of much help...I wouldn't worry too much though as they say that in the majority of cases it turns out to be nothing so keep positive

Lane · 09-07-2009, 11:27 PM

Thanks for your advice! I may just give them a call. I'm not sure what infection they are looking for. Its possible that it has to do with yeast. I had a pap once before that came back normal but that the tech noticed a small amount of yeast on the slide. I had no symptoms, but I treated it with medication as suggested. So perhaps this time they saw the same thing and went ahead and rated it abnormal. It's possible it went to a different lab and they have different standards when it comes to abnormal paps. I'm not sure.

I actually looked up abnormal paps on here last night and found several discussions about this. Sounds like it happens to people a lot. In fact, when my Dr's office was scheduling my colposcopy, she said their first available appt for the colpo wasn't until Oct. She said they had a ton of women booked for colpos till then. Makes me wonder if the lab is messing up or something. I didnt think so many people were dealing with this.

jaimelc · 09-07-2009, 11:49 PM

I had my 1st abnormal in 2002, the biopsy came back ok, so paps every 6 mos for a couple of years. Nothing came up again until this May, another biopsy, mild dysplasia. They say it is usually HPV and they keep an eye on it. They also test for chlamydia and gonorrhea and vaginitis.

It seems that there is some controversy with paps lately because they are such a broad screening that they get a lot of false positives and just end up scaring people. In some circles they are even recommending not getting them as often or at all. I think there are some newer tests out there as well.

I still think they are worth it, though.

Lane · 09-11-2009, 12:49 AM

jaimelc: Thanks for sharing your experience with this. It really is scary to hear your test results are normal! But everytime I ask someone about it, they've said that they also have had abnormal ones and the end result is usually normal. Seems like this is way to common though.

sweet_mimi · 09-11-2009, 11:27 PM

hey there...i have a pap every 6 mos. b/c of HPV...no symptoms except for the fact it can cause abnormal paps (i.e., i do not have warts). i just try to keep on top of it by seeing the dr regularly so that in the event it morphs into some type of cervical cancer that we're on the offensive. i've been tested for hpv and dx'd "low grade" as well. if you do a few searches on hpv you'll find that it's more common than you think... and to think, guys don't show ANY signs. figures. i was first dx'd 8 years ago w/hpv and i do not nor have i ever had cancer. keep your head up, have regular checks w/the dr. you're not alone!

Lane · 09-17-2009, 09:14 AM

Thank you for your advice sweet mimi!! That makes me feel tons better!!! I didnt realize so many people are dealing with this. Makes me feel a little more normal in the midst of feeling abnormal for having pcos...lol! I'll let you guys know how the colpo goes next month!!

februarystar · 09-17-2009, 11:31 AM

I find doctors often refer to HPV as an infection due to its transient nature. You can have HPV for many years without any sign of it and then one day it will show up on a pap smear. At this point it will either hang around as is, reverse back to being non-existant, or eventually change into cervical cancer (although highly unlikely if you have regular pap smears and follow up on abnormal smears).

I guess to put it simply, you are always carrying HPV, but its described as an 'infection' only when it appears in an abnormal smear.

I have a friend who has an abnormal smear every second pap! Its obviously just the nature of the particular strain of HPV she has and how it responds to her body and vice versa.

Lane · 09-30-2009, 12:46 AM

I wonder if bcp's play a role in cervical changes as well?

I also read an interesting study that suggests supplementing with folic acid helps restore a healthy cervix.