First Colposcopy/HPV - lots of questions

Hi ladies,

 

I had my third (or maybe 4th? I'm 32 and I think I went for my first when I was 21, but it seems like everyone gets called at 25 now?) smear a few weeks ago and it was the first one that's ever come back as abnormal Frown 

The letter i recieved said abnormal result - low grade dyskaryosis and signs of HPV infection. The leaflet (NOT the letter) that came with it, implies that they're only calling people for colposcopys if it's high risk HPV, which has made me freak out a little bit and have lots of questions. However, search as i do, I can't really find clear answers to them all so was hoping maybe someone here could help? 

 

1. I've read lots of things about how HPV can be in your system for a long time before it shows itself and so its hard to tell who you got it from. I've been with the same partner between my last clear smear and this one, so am wondering if it was him who gave it to me or if it was from a previous partner? My current partner's my husband and I don't really want to go thinking he's been unfaithful Frown Before we got together, I was seeing someone and had incidents of bleeding after sex/between periods. I went to the GUM clinic about it straight away and was tested for what I thought was everything and told that I was all clear. However, they never offered me a smear test, could this have been HPV? Could they have tested me for HPV but just didn't because I didn't ask? I didn't really know about it then or how risky it was (2010). 

 

2. As mentioned above I'm married. I'm on the pill so we don't use condoms. I can't find anything about if its now safe to have sex without condoms or if we'll have to use them forever now? If I go and get treated this time, will i only go and get infected again the next time I have sex? 

 

3. I've not got the greatest immune system and the week before my smear test I was the sickest I've been for a very long time and not fully recovered at the time. Is this something that can mean HPV reappears, like shingles/chicken pox? Or do you either get rid of it straight away or just never get rid of it? So confused... I'm also wondering if, as I've now got yet another cold (very stressful job, with colds going round every 5 minutes) if this will influence the colposcopy results? 

 

4. We moved house just as I was called for my smear, so I didn't change my GP to have an easier life, has anyone had any experience of switching in the middle of being referred? I'm worried that if I do it now all my records will get lost, and if I wait till after the colposcopy, what if i need more treatment? I know switching GPs is relatively easy now, but the hospital system is something else...

5. Not really a question I guess.. I wanted to have kids one day and I'm also worried this means I won't be able to Frown

Thanks for any help, sorry for all the questions. Still waiting for my colposcopy appointment letter, I was told to call the GP if I hadn't heard within two weeks, but that's not till friday. 

Please don't think your hubby has been unfaithful. I have been with mine since 2002 and I had my first colposcopy in 2013. Hpv can lay dormant for a long long time. Your body normally is pretty good at fighting it off so abnormalities don't develop.

My understanding (which may be wrong) is that the hpv doesn't necessarily cause a weakened immune system but if you do have a weakened immune system / experience a lot of stress it can mean your body isn't as good at fighting hpv off which means for some people this means abnormalities develop. I had some extreme periods of stress in between a clear biopsy and Cgin and v small cc being found and I wonder if this is why it developed.

I think hpv can be spread by sexual contact so using condoms won't prevent it's transmission unless you are very very careful. I have never been advised to use condoms now I have hpv. 

As for fertility they will do all they can to help preserve your fertility. If you need minor treatment like Lletz there isn't really a fertility iimpact. If you needed more surgery they can in some areas do a different op to preserve fertility but I can't spell it!! . If you need chemo/radiotherapy etc yes this will cause infertility but here the cancer is a real threat to you so you need the more aggressive treatment.  I haven't been through that treatment myself so can't really say much more. Fingers crossed as you have been regularly screened you won't be anywhere near this stage.

I'm not sure on your other Q but sure some other ladies will chip in xx 

 

Hello sweetheart,

Of course it could well be the stress of moving house which has lowered your immune system and allowed an office bug to get past your normally super-defence system. Don't worry about where the HPV came from, it's a pointless exercise and only causes more stress. A spot of HPV is very unlikely to mean you can't have kids so please try not to worry about that either. It sounds as though the HPV may have caused mild abnormalities while your immune system was down due to stress but I understand that often low grade dyskariosis is only monitored, not treated because it can clear up all by itself. I think that in this day and age there is less likelihood of notes getting lost because they are all computerised now and any doctor anywhere in the country can call them up.

Hope that helps :-)

Be lucky

Tivoli