HI I'm new on here. I have had an abnormal smear result back and have been called for a colposcopy next week. I stupidly delayed my smear for a year and I was not surprised that it came back as abnormal because I had been having irregular bleeding and some bleeding after sex. I have also had a feeling that everything is not right.
So I hope everything will be ok and it hasn't turned cancerous.. I'm actually glad my hand has been forced by the screening result because now feel I can now go to the doctor knowing I wasn't imagining my symptoms (appointment tomorrow).But obviously im nervous :(.
The symptoms I've been having have been a bit on and off over the past six months or so and, although I know I should've gone to the docs the first time I felt where was something unusual, I couldn't help seeing if it went away. The next time when nothing happened after sex or I didn't bleed mid cycle I hoped it was better. I was just wondering if people with symptoms and who had been diagnosed had them all the time.?
I am sorry you are going through this, as you can gather from this forum hteir are quite a few of us. I initially went to see my GP as I had bleeding during and after sex and bleeding between periods, I also had a clear smear test 2 years ago. The bleeding wasn't all the time on and off and it became painful having sex, the last time I had sex I bled heavily during........This then followed with discharge. Last week I was diagnosed with Cervical cancer stage 1b and I had my MRI results back today as lymph nodes clear (phew). But this is my story, yours could be and maybe different, you can bleed for different reason, your cervix may have erosion. I think its the not knowing that is the worst thing. This site is fab and is full of lovely supportive woman.
Goodluck for tomorrow and I will be thinking about you, let us know how you get on.
I had my first smear test at the end of last year and about a month after I started to develop symptoms such as bleeding after sex and odd discharge. When my smear test came back as abnormal, like you, I became worried and I did attend the doctors but to be honest I don't think attending my gp really achieved everthing. He got me to do a number of pregnancy tests, tested me for thrush, chlamydia, gonorrhea etc and everything came back negative. Since my smear test only showed mild dykaryosis, he concluded we should just wait for my repeat smear test in June.
Well those months were pretty horrendous stress and worry wise as I had never bled irregularly or abnormally. After my second smear test all my symptoms seemed to disappear and have been symptom free for 2 months. However, my repeat smear test came back as severe dyskaryosis.
I had my colposcopy today and have to wait 6-8 weeks for the biopsy result but looking at the screen, I could see the abnormality but I really did not think it looked cancerous (I am medically trained). Now obviously I will have to wait for the results but based on what I saw on the colposcopy screen I would be surprised if my symptoms were just down to this.
Abnormal bleeding is common in young women and there are many different reasons for this (I've read somewhere that 600 young women report post coital bleeding per year but the incidence of cervical cancer in young women is only 20 per year; and remember how many women have post coital bleeding but don't report it to their GP). It is also very common to have an abnormal smear as a young woman but extremely rare to have cervical cancer; post coital bleeding is not a strong predictor of cervical cancer I know it is difficult to not assume the worst but its good to think about the whole picture in context. My mother said she had similar symptoms when she was my age which came to nothing.
All you can do is attend regular smears and the system will look after you now. I wouldn't worry that you didnt speak to your GP sooner, i think many GPs (especially men) struggle at picking up gynaelogical conditions where vague symptoms are involved.
Just try to put all this to one side- I know this is easier said than done. I let the stress and worry affect my life for 7 months but lately Ive just accepted it as something that has to be done and how tiny the risks of advanced cancer are, and I finally free and happy from it all.
I hope my experience helps you to put your mind a little at ease.
