Abnormal Pap

I received a call my doctor's nurse today, that last week's Pap was abnormal.  They said it was for HPV.  The doctor wants to do another Pap in 6 months.  Is this proper protocol?  I am 38 and have a Pap every year.  This is the first time it has been abnormal.  Is it time to worry?

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
If you are negative for HPV, then repeating the pap in 6 months should be fine.
You may want to inquire exactly what the reading was--I suspect something such as
Atypcial Squamous Cells of Uncertain Significance (ASCUS).
If that is true, then they are following proper protocol, in fact, it would be OK to wait up to a year before having another pap, although I like to be cautious too.

Good luck!
Dr B

[rilesnic]

Sorry, they said it was negative for HPV.  Thanks.

[Kimmi1565]

There is always a possibility of false positives and false negatives.  Since it was negative for HPV, that's a good thing.  Some strains of HPV can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.  

As far as if that's proper protocol, every doctor is different, but that's how they did my mom's abnormal pap and it was a false positive.  Even something like a bacterial or yeast infection can cause an abnormal pap.  The reason 6 months of waiting isn't a big deal is because typically if there are abnormal cells, they grow very slowly.

I hope this put your mind at ease a little bit.

[rilesnic]

Thank you both for your responses.  I will check with my doctor for the specific result, but I already feel much better!  Thanks again!