I just got off the phone with my doctor... she said my pap smear came back normal but I have HPV... I'm so scared... is HPV fatal? should I be concerned? HELP!!!
__________________ Christina - 25 Scott - 24 (1 year anniversary september 13th!)
Diagnosed with PCOS May 2005
Current Meds - Metformin 500mg 2 times daily
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HPV is Human Papilloma Virus and is not fatal, though some studies suggest it may increase the risk of cervical cancer in some women. What did your doctor tell you about HPV? She just left you hanging with no information about it?
__________________ Deeply in love with DH David and our baby boy Jacob. Baby Jake was born on Friday, August 4th, 2006 at 12:17 am! OFFICIALLY TTC Baby #2!
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She gave me a paper on it and I read through it somewhat but didn't understand it... She didn't really go over it with me but I'm calling the doctor's office monday to get more information.
__________________ Christina - 25 Scott - 24 (1 year anniversary september 13th!)
Diagnosed with PCOS May 2005
Current Meds - Metformin 500mg 2 times daily
My Myspace! Feel Free To Add Me! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
No need to be nervous. I have HPV, and have had no trouble. Only 4 strains are known to contribute to cervical cancer. And only a few strains cause genital warts, which I am sure your doc would have told you if you had them. All the others really do nothing. About 80% of women who are sexually active will get HPV in some form or other. Sorry your doc wasn't better about sharing info with you.
__________________ Lucky mommy of Quinn, 6 years.
PCOS, IBS, Clinical Depression, Lyme Disease, allergies
trying to go natural, down to 1 script, 1 OTC(love u Zyrtec!) and lots of vitamins
There are many strains of HPV, and only a few cause cancer. Other strands may cause warts either internally, externally, or both. I was reading an article that said as many as 90% of sexually active college women may have some form of HPV.
While HPV is not curable it is treatable. Even with the strands that are cancer causing, it doesn't necessarily mean you will get cervical cancer. Sometimes (depending on the strand of HPV and the severity of the case) a doctor use an acid to burn and remove any "sketchy" cells.
The important thing to remember is keep with any appointments your doctor wants you to make. In some instances, a GYN may want to see you every 3 or 6 months (at least for a while) for a pap smear to monitor any changes. Again, it depends on how severe it appears to be and what strand of the virus they think it is. Be sure to have your annual women's health exam as well as any additional doctor's visits your GYN suggests. Smaller problems are easier to take care of and with regular GYN checkups, they can detect any changes.
Pap smears were instituted and are continued to be utilized world wide to detect any cellular cervical abnormalities as well as cervical cancer. Cervical cancer, if caught early, can be taken care of.
In a sense, I guess HPV is kind of like PCOS in that it's about monitoring and controling symptoms. As long as you have a good doctor and follow their advice, you can keep your body in check. With regular checkups as suggested by your physician, your healthcare provider can hopefully catch any new problems and treat you accordingly.
Lastly, especially with any "chronic" condition, you need to be comfortable and confident with your healthcare provider. If you are uncomfortable with them for any reason, find someone you can trust.
__________________ **~Future Doc Cyster~**
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Many women acquire HPV at some point in their lives. HPV, i read, is the most common STD. The good news, few strains are cancerous. Even then, they are easy to treat. You mentioned that your Dr. said that everything with you is normal despite having HPV, which leads me to assume you do not have precancerous tissue. Your Dr. may advise to follow-up your Pap in a few months to monitor your cervical cells. I myself have HPV, and had CIN-III, the most advanced state of precancerous tissue on my cervix at the age of 18 (it was quite a scary feeling being told I had severe precancerous tissue at such a young age). After several colposcopies, I underwent a Leep procedure, otherwise known as a cone biopsy to remove the precancerous tissue with an electrode. Even after that, a few months later, they found I still had some remnants of the precancerous tissue, and they removed that via cryosurgery by freezing the cells. It wasn't until this point that I was told about the HPV as the cause of all this. Up until this point, they said they were not sure of the cause. Now, almost 10 years later, there is a lot more information regarding HPV and further treatments, even a vaccine for young women by Merck is available (which is responsible for the tell someone campaign). I wish I had known about HPV earlier.
But anyhow, the important thing to take in is there is no need to panic. Even with precancerous and even cancerous tissue, there is a good prognosis for you as long as you are being treated for it. After both procedures, I no longer have a trace of the precancerous tissue, and get regular Pap smears to monitor my cervix. I suggest you read up the most you can on HPV, I learned most by doing so. Best of luck.
I'm So Scared 
