Well, I went for a pap smear (first pap in over 10 years....I know, I know ). It came back "Negative for intraepithelial lesion and malignancy" but also said "High Risk HPV Positive." My doc told me to come back in 6 months for repeat pap and HPV test.

Would you wait 6 months? or is that too long?

i've been dealing with the high-risk dysplasia for a year and a half now...and i've had a colposcopy every 6 months...from my understanding, your cervix "regenerates" itself every 3 months or so, hopefully "shedding" the infected tissue...so waiting 6 months is typical so your body can have a chance to heal itself before any drastic and probably unnescessary treatment options are consdered...but i also believe in instinct and a second opinion and third and sometimes fourth opinion is better than doubt and worry!!

sorry i can't be of more help, it's all very confusing!!!

Hi hopeful101,
It's not uncommon for Dr's to do the "wait and see" method with cervical dysplasia. Especially if it's mild (aka CIN1). I'm not sure, but if you have CIN2, they may also do the same. I can't say for sure as I've only had CIN1. Anyway, I wouldn't worry. They just want to see if your cervix will start healing itself without having to preform a procedure on you like a LEEP, etc.. Especially if your colposcopy shows no cancers cells.

Here's my history (maybe it'll show you what your Dr's are up to):
1. April 2006 had my regular pap (hadn't had one in a few years). Came back abnormal, and turns out to be HPV/CIN1.

2. May 2006 I had my colposcopy. The results came back as no cancerous cells, so my Dr. opted for me to come back for my next pap in six months.

3. October 2006 I have my next pap. Unfortunately it doesn't show my dysplasia getting any better. However, the good news is it also hasn't gotten any worse! Just the same as last time. Come back in another six months.

4. March 2007 I have my next pap. Great news! It's now down to ASC-US! My cervix is on the mend! I will go back in three months, June 2007, for my next pap.

5. Later March 2007. I wasn't sure what "risk" of HPV I had. So after much paranoia, obsessively reading everything on HPV, and other factors...I started becoming obsessed with checking myself down there. I ended up finding a bump on the side of my clit that really upset me. I was convinced I had a wart. I made myself finally go back to my OBGYN's office. The NP there looked it over, and feels that it looks more like a cyst. Not a wart. During our conversation, I found out that they did indeed do an HPV test on me (I was 35 at the time of diagnoses). I always thought they made the HPV "call" based on the pap alone. Turns out they did it back when I had the abnormal test to begin with. I do have "high-risk" HPV. Which I've read can cause warts...aka flat warts...but from the vibe I get, it's rare. I'm under the assumption I don't have "low-risk" HPV.

Oops...posted that before finishing. lol!

Anyway, if you don't already, working on your immune system will help. Like I take some vitamins now. I take like vitamins C & B12. Also take Centrum multi vitamin. I'm also considering getting myself a folic acid supplement. Changes in your diet can help. Even excersieing. No need to join a gym if you don't want. Just simply start walking or swimming (now that summer is looming ahead). If you're a smoker, I suggest look into ways of starting to quit. It's one of the big enemies in your immune system's fight against this. There's also the stress factor. Try to find ways to relieve stress can be beneficial as stress will beat your immune system down. Reading a book, going out with friends, taking up a hobby...etc.. Even taking a nice, hot bath. Whatever may work for you. Also, if a person is like I was...obsessing with everything they can find online regarind HPV/dysplasia/genital warts...pull yourself back. I would waste any time I had on it, if I could. My weekends were basically sitting here on the computer, reading everything I could find. Driving myself batty. One minute thinking I had this, and the next thinking I didn't. It can so help the stress levels to stop doing that. Trust me. Once I had that good talk with my NP, finding out what risk I was, it totally took a weight off my shoulders. Now anything HPV related I look up is just basically this and another message board. I'm much happier for it.

Have you checked out this site's info on HPV and dysplasia?
http://www.ashastd.org/hpv/hpv_learn_dysplasia.cfm
As you can see to the left, there's other sections you can go into that maybe beneficial for you to look over. Like Myths and Misconceptions, Fast Facts, and so forth. Btw, as for length of time it can take, I have heard it can take an average of two years before your cervix heals. Sometimes you can hear of people that unfortunately they've dealt with it a lot longer. Just remember that everyone is different, so there's no real way to say why it takes one person longer over another. Unless their immune system isn't all that great. I don't know. Hope that site will help you out more.

Goodluck!

Hi hopeful,

Your scenario is fairly common, in that a woman with a normal Pap test will be told she has tested positive for "high risk" HPV. Have your healthcare provider sort out what tests you have, and what the results are, but scenario like yours often means they ran an HPV DNA test along with the Pap and while there are no abnormal cervical cell changes detected, the HPV test was able to find some HPV in the cells they sampled. Not at all unusual, as most sexually active people have HPV infections at some point in their lifetime.

The vast majority of women with HPV will never have an abnormal Pap as a result, because the immune system is usually able to suppress/clear the virus over time. It's not uncommon to simply do a repeart Pap in a few months (they often do this even when the first Pap was mildly abnormal).

Hope this helps.

Fredo

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