I am British but live in Spain. I first went to the gynaecologist in March due to some issues I was having (including vaginal pain since January). He did some tests and I was diagnosed with HPV "Group 2" (this wasn't a smear test, but some kind of HPV test). I then had a smear test that came back normal, and the doctor told me to use Papilocare gel twice a week.
I went back to the gynaecologist 2 weeks ago for another smear test. He called me today to tell me there were some abnormal cells but that this is probably due to the HPV. He said I should continue to use Papilocare and come back for another smear test in 3 months. He also told me this is probably the cause of the vaginal pain I've been having.
Obviously I'm a little stressed because of the abnormal cells - I'm just looking for more information on how much to worry about it. Also, I haven't seen any information online about whether HPV can cause vaginal pain, most websites just say that HPV normally doesn't cause any symptoms at all! I'm just wondering if I should push for more tests to find the cause of the pain? Or see another doctor about it?
Hmmmm. I am not a doctor obviously, but I have never heard of HPV causing vaginal pain. I had a very bad experience with an American doctor and chose to seek a second opinion, which I am very thankful for. I have developed a strong belief since then that if your gut is telling you something is not quite right with a doctor, then you should trust it. I would say, if at all possible, push for more testing or see another doctor if for no other reason, just to put your mind at ease.
Broadly speaking there are 2 groups of HPV which are of concern for gynae health: firstly the high risk group (HR-HPV) which is associated with cancer but doesn't cause any symptoms as such, and secondly the low risk group which causes genital warts. I'm not familiar with HPV Group 2 - does that mean low risk HPV? What is Papilocare gel for? is it a genital wart treatment? I know genital warts can be a bit itchy and may possibly (I'm not 100% sure) cause vaginal pain.
So when the doc said your recent abnormal cells may be due to HPV - he might be referring to a high risk HPV. And when he says your vaginal pain is due to HPV, he might be referring to low risk HPV. Maybe you have both high risk HPV and low risk HPV? I'm guessing a bit here, trying to make sense of it. The doc is keeping any eye on you by asking to get a repeat smear in 3 months time which is good. Maybe the doc isn't the best communicator; you might want to call to ask for clarification of what you've been told. Or if you don't feel confident with this doc then is best to see another one.
Thanks to you both for your answers! I think I will get a second opinion just to feel more at ease.
Jazza, the type of HPV is not the one that causes genital warts, it's one of the risky ones. According to the test results, group 2 includes types: 35, 39, 51, 56, 59, 66, 68. From what I understand, these are not the most risky (I had the HPV vaccination in school which I think protected me from those) but are still somewhat risky. So from what you're saying it seems that the pain wouldn't make sense with one of these types of HPV?
As for Papilocare, the doctor never really explained it to me but I think it's to help stop HPV doing too much damage? (They have a website with information in English if you want to have a look)
Thanks faffyfoo, I've learned a couple of new things today. So it seems to be mostly making sense apart from the vaginal pain. As you say, probably best to get a second opinion - I've certainly needed a few of those.
