HPV -

[carmen626]

I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HPV LAST YEAR WHEN I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT. IT IS THE TYPE OF HPV THAT CAN CAUSE CERVICAL CANCER.I HAVE ALSO HAD ABNORMAL PAPS.I HAD A HEALTHY BABY AND A HEALTHY PREGNANCY REGARDLESS.
SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD ABOUT 5 PAP SMEARS,COLPOSCOPYS AND BIOPSYS TO KEEP AN EYE ON MY DIAGNOSIS AND TO MAKE SURE THINGS DONT GET WORSE.MY DOCTORS THOUGHT THAT I HAD HIGH GRADE CELLS WHICH WAS WHY THEY WERE WORRIED AND KEPT TESTING ME.TODAY THEY SAY I HAVE LOW GRADE CELLS WHICH ARE A TYPICAL AND THAT THINGS ARE LOOKING AND GETTING ALOT BETTER.THEY EVEN TOLD ME THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME I HAVE A NORMAL PAP SMEAR. THEY TOLD ME THAT I DONT NEED TO COME IN FOR A WHOLE YEAR. IM CONFUED AND WORRIED BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A NORMAL PAP I DO STILL HAVE HPV AND A  YEAR IS A LONG TIME TO WAIT WHEN SOMETHING COULD CHANGE IN MY CELLS BY THEN AND WHAT IF THEY DONT CATCH CERVICAL CANCER IN TIME? THEN I WOULD HAVE TO GET A HISTERECTOMY .
I GUESS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS SHOULD I WAIT A WHOLE YEAR TO GET ANOTHER PAP OR SHOULD I BE SEEN A LITTLE SOONER JUST TO CHECK UP ON MYSELF? ALSO, WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A NORMAL PAP BUT TO HAVE HPV? IT DOENT REALLY MAKE SENSE TO ME? AND, CAN HPV GO AWAY ON ITS OWN IN SOME CASES?

[That Dude]

I'm not a doctor but I've been researching HPV for 5 months religiously and what I can tell you is this. HPV goes away on its own in MOST cases......normal pap probably means your HPV cleared and your all set....follow doc order to be sure and....congrats on healthy baby!

[ibizan]

I agree....i had LEEP 8-07 and follow up pap 12-17.all ok. no trace of hpv cells even tho i know the sucker lies dormant in my system.I have to have paps every 4 mos. for first year then if all continues to b ok i can go a year.yes it can go away on its own....we're all different with that!:)

[DOCBOY]

HPV is with you for life. But HPV is not the warts it just causes them.
When they say you PAP smear is normal they mean your got no visible warts. But they can come back at anytime. You can get rid of the warts but not HPV so they can reoccur at anytime.

[Chrystal32]

That is not true. There are different strains of HPV. I had the kind without the warts. (Just like yours.) Of course I had a hysterectomy because I was already fixed and didn't want to worry about getting mild dysplasia (beginning of cancer on cervix) again. But to ease your mind, maybe you should get a second opinion from another doctor. Good luck to you and God bless you.

[ibizan]

Chrystal is right.there are 30 some different strains of HPV that cause cervical dysplasia.Two different strains of HPV 6 and 11 cause the genital warts.U can have both at the same time or one mutually exclusive of the other.Doc Handsfield just posted the other day 2 a woman that it takes average 6-12 months for the HPV virus to clear body but it goes dormant within.Another doctor posted 6-18 months for same occurence...so that is the ballpark time frame ur dealing with.I would want another follow-up pap in a few months....just like i'm having.I think a second opinion will ease ur mind!:)

[Chrystal32]

Thank you, ibizan, I really understand where this girl is coming from. As I'm sure you do too.

[ibizan]

Sure do understand where she is coming from which is why i read the Experts Forum and the doctos responses to those daily with std and hpv concerns!also ashastd.org is a very good site as well!