Hey, can I ask why you only need two vault smears after a hysterectomy? I have long term HPV. I haven’t had a hysterectomy yet but I was just wondering. Most people seem to have one at 6 months and then again at 18 months. I was just wondering why the risk is gone after this. My cousin sadly passed away in her forties of vaginal cancer so I’m a bit paranoid.
Hi, I’ve had ongoing vault smears every 6 months since my hysterectomy 5 years ago. I now have a risk of developing vaginal cancer as I’m testing VAIN 3.
In my experience they have been super vigilant and I now sit between colposcopy and oncology which means sometimes I’ve been called in by both teams within weeks of each other.
I was told that if I had 2-3 years in the clear I would be called back annually, then every 3 years etc. So I guess it all depends on your results.
Hopefully you get the all clear x
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Thank you for replying. I’m sorry to hear that they have found vain 3 but I’m glad you’re getting monitored so closely. I’m worried that this could happen too, if I have a hysterectomy and continue to carry HPV. I wonder why the consultant told me it would be one check at 6months, then again at 18 months, then that would be it. Surely, it will always be a risk. x
I’m guessing that’s a best case scenario and should your 6 month one come back clear then hopefully the next one will too. It also might depend on where the abnormal tissue is and how easy it will be to remove it.
But keep an eye on any abnormalities and get back in contact with anything you’re worried about.
For me after my hysterectomy I had light bleeding for almost two years afterwards, so I never got the all clear. The pinkish watery discharge was definitely a sign things weren’t right. I still have a small spot that gets up to 1cm in diameter at he top of my vagina amongst the scar tissue which is difficult to get rid of completely.
I’ve had treatment every year since with and thankfully it’s kept it at bay but I do worry how many more treatments I can have. My next check up is this month so fingers crossed.
