Second abnormal pap in a row
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Second abnormal pap in a row
| Tue, 10-21-2003 - 3:47pm |
Hello everyone. I have a question/concern. I had an abnormal pap smear several months ago and they did a coloscopy (sp?) which found nothing to be concerned about. My doc scheduled me for a pap in six months just to make sure. Well I just got a call about that one and it's abnormal (same finding as previous) so now I have to go get another one in three months. What could be causing this? Should I be concerned? How many of you have had abnormal paps one after another?
Once a year was plenty to see the gynecologist but it seems I better get used to going more frequently.
Thanks,
S


Hi spunkie,
The most common cause for persistant abnormal pap smears is the human papillomavirus (HPV). It is a very common virus that 75% of the sexually active population has been exposed to. There is no medical cure for it. All you can do is take care of the cervical abnormalities it may cause. Your paps will be normal while the virus is dormant.
The sad thing is is that many doctor still to this day do not mention to their patients or test their patients for this virus. The connection between HPV and cervical abnormalities was only made 10 years ago... and still some doctors are hesitant to bring it up, or just don't realize the connection.
At this point what is going on... is your doctor is waiting to see if the abnormalities heal on their own with time. That is why you must re-pap every few months. If the virus becomes dormant again, the cervical abnormalities will heal up and you will be normal again. There is always a possibility the abnormalities will become more moderate to severe instead which is why doctors pap every few months, just in case this happens. It sounds like your pap has stayed abnormal, yet is still only mildly abnormal... so there is no reason to treat the abnormalities.
You should ask your doctor to test your abnormal cells for HPV, so you know for sure if this is the cause. Most likely it is... because pretty much every has a strain of HPV in there bodies... its just normally dormant in most people so it cannot be detected in tests.
Good luck and I will keep my fingers crossed that these cells heal up soon!
megan
Gin :)