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Gynecology (Expert Forum)
I'm 35 and never really had a pap test! Scared I could have cancer.
Answered by
Elaine Brown, MD - Pregnancy, Gynecology
Elaine Brown, MD - BLOG
Billings - MT
I'm 35 and never really had a pap test! Scared I could have cancer.
by curlydog415, Oct 20, 2009 01:42PM
i am a 35 year old white female who does not smoke. i am childless by choice. i have had 2 sex partners. the first was from the age of 24 to 28 and my current partner and i have been together since i was 28. both have had previous sex partners. i have OCD and severe anxiety. i started seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist last february. because of my mental conditions i am extremely afraid of going to the doctor. i am not so much scared of the doctor as a person but i am afraid of 'test results'. i am afraid of 'waiting' for my results to come in. i am hysterically scared that they will find something seriously wrong with me yet i am afraid to have the test. i know this makes no sense (that is party why i am in therapy). anyhow, i had my first pap and exam at 34, about a year ago. the pap came back 'inconclusive' not enough cells were collected so i basically had no result. during the test it was somewhat painful and i had light spotting for about a day. the nurse practitioner said this was normal. i tested positive for bacterial vaginosis and no STD's. anyhow, i have not gone back yet... i am so scared that since i have never had a pap test, especially at my age of 35, that i will have cancer! i know cervical cancer has no symptoms (at least at the start of it). i have no bleeding in between periods and no bleeding after sex. what are my chances (percentage wise) of having actual cervical cancer at this point?? my boyfriend had a wart removed from his penis about 2 years ago. his doctor said he could have been infected with hpv at any point in his life. i know the kind of hpv that causes warts is considered low risk hpv. i know he or my previous partner could have other more dangerous hpv strains. i have been talking with my mental health therapist extensively about my fears and i am planning on getting another pap test after my next period. if you could please give me some feed back about my odds i would greatly appreciate it.
Doctor's Answer
by Elaine Brown, MD, Oct 21, 2009 11:15AM
, Oct 21, 2009 11:15AMTo: curlydog415
HI!
You are at pretty low risk of having cervical cancer. I definitely think that you should get another exam done, and waiting longer is not going to help anything, so gather your courage and go! Would it help to have someone else interpret the results, or would that be worse? That is something to cover with your therapist of course.
MOST cases of HPV have "been and gone" by age 35. Also, if you are over 35, monogamous, and have a normal pap, you don't have to go back for THREE years!
Good luck! You can do it! If it helps you at all--NO ONE likes pap smears!
Dr B
You are at pretty low risk of having cervical cancer. I definitely think that you should get another exam done, and waiting longer is not going to help anything, so gather your courage and go! Would it help to have someone else interpret the results, or would that be worse? That is something to cover with your therapist of course.
MOST cases of HPV have "been and gone" by age 35. Also, if you are over 35, monogamous, and have a normal pap, you don't have to go back for THREE years!
Good luck! You can do it! If it helps you at all--NO ONE likes pap smears!
Dr B
