I was diagnosed with hpv. I had a colposcopy done with a biopsy and am not so patiently waiting results.
Does anyone know what symptoms of hpv vs cervical cancer? Are they different?
Also one thing that is happening more regularly is bleeding after sex. It’s not a crazy amount but there is like stringy almost tissue looking stuff along with it. Does anyone else experience that?
Hi Lynn
Im sorry to hear you are feeling worried.
HPV is for most people asymptomatic, there are a number of different strains but there are a few which are called high risk HPV and strain 16 and 18 is what can lead to cell changes and rarely cervical cancer. HPV is a very comment virus and around 80 percent of people will have it at some point in thier life time who have ever been sexually active and for most it causes no problems however for some who have a persistent HPV infection this can lead to cervical cell changes which may or may not turn to cervical cancer. They don't know who it the changes will turn into cancer with that's why they offer treatment to everyone with high grade cell changes (sometimes known at CIN 2 and 3 or moderate and severe) I found that through my journey so far sometimes this language is used interchangeably which can confuse matters. If you have CIN 1 they usually offer to watch and wait and go for a smear test sooner than the three years to see if it goes away it's self as sometimes it does. HPV can lay dormant in your body for years and resurface even if you have had clear smears before, this is what happened to me as I've had the same partner for a long time.
As for the bleeding, that can be a number of different reasons and I would speak to the colposcopy clinic or your GP for advice.
I know it's frightening and I am one of the most anxious people around however being informed has kept me grounded at times when I have felt desperate. There's a lot of information on this site to explain the above in a lot more detail than I have as well as the cancer research website.
I hope that helps.
