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I didn't, but one of my BMs did. It scared the CRAP out of both of us, but everything ended up fine. I think abnormal paps happen to like 6% of women. Don't worry until you know anything...I know that's easier said than done, but I'll be thinking about you! :(
Yes, I've gone through this about 7 years ago. I had an abnormal pap and they thought it was b/c of HPV but I didn't have that. I ended up having to have a LEEP done to remove the cells. As long as you catch it soon, you should be ok! After I had the LEEP done I had to go to the dr twice a year so they could check on it. I'm totally healed now, and I'm so glad it was caught early. Good Luck to you!
I've not been through your exact experience, but I've had lower-grade pre-cancerous changes several times and have been through numerous colposcopies, sometimes with biopsy and sometimes without. Every single one ended up being normal, but that still doesn't make the waiting period any easier.
The biggest thing to remember right now: Do not panic. It's very possible that your doctor is just taking the necessary precautions and your test results will be completely normal. And if they're abnormal, working yourself into a giant stressed out ball of frenzy isn't going to help you deal with that information. Until you know what you're up against, try to not sit there and conjure worst case scenarios.
Good luck, and let us know when you get the results. My fingers are crossed that all that will happen will be the need for a repeat pap smear in 3-6 months.
I had one, and asked for a second pap to confim before they did anything more invasive. Turns out the tech who analyzed my first one didn't really know what he/she was looking at because the second one was totally normal. I asked the doctor to look at it and she wrote me a letter saying that it was fine.
Don't be nervous...abnormal paps are SO normal! I swear, I've had one every single time for the past 3 visits I've had...it is annoying! Every time, they biopsy them, and each time the results are exactly the same. Mine aren't serious, so I haven't had a procedure to have them removed, but it is an option, and apparently not a huge procedure. My doctor also said that a lot of the times those cells will disappear after you are pregnant/give birth...in the process of giving birth, all of the cells in the uterine wall will slough off and you are left with a clean slate! Although, if you aren't planning on having children anytime soon, I guess that wouldn't be helpful!
Hope you are doing ok!
I had the same EXACT experience as Mimosa. It was precancerous...had the LEEP procedure done, also thought it was probably HPV but tested neg for that...not sure why it happened, but I'm fine now.
Me too...I had an abnormal pap in college. They retested 3 mos later and it was normal again. I haven't been through the biopsy though...I'm sure that's very scary! Precancerous cells are not cancer though, remember that! My sister had precancerous cells in her throat and it all went away...
A lot depends on your age. Under 30 they usually just biopsy or colposcopy and depending on the shape and number of abnormal cells, decide on the course of treatment. My course was jut to get paps every 3 months. My next three paps came back normal as the younger you are, the more your body changes and those cells go away. The doctor may have biopsied you 6 times to see if they could get it out that way. You may need to have a procedure done to remove the cells. LEEP is a good option but they may do a cone biopsy or I think there is another option. Make sure your doctor discusses all of the options. Just know that this is one of those things that is taken care of early as a precaution.
I have not been through this, although I imagine its stressful! I hope it comes back all fine- no need for anything more! My friend had this happen and she ended up haveing a LEEP. 2 years later and she is still clean. Good luck!
Thank you so much ladies!!! All of your advice/experiences have been super helpful and I'm not freaking out about it as much. I will definitely keep you posted when I hear back from the doctor this week.
If you need anymore advice I am a medical assistant at my parents OBGYN practice.. Id be glad to give you some advice.
I'm glad you aren't as freaked out anymore. I'm sure the doctors are just doing everything to be safe and it's probably nothing. I had an abnormal pap and my doctor never told me 
but it didn't show up again.
Just another "don't freak out" comment! This happened to me too. Abnormal pap, normal colposcopy (biopsy), abnormal pap, normal pap, normal pap, normal pap. I'm now cleared to go back to once year visits-- yippy!
Also keep in mind, this is WHY we do pap smears. So when there is something wrong they can watch it and take care of it before it becomes an issue.
I have... they sent me for a Coloscopy (spelling is wrong). It's basically a high tech test where the gyno looks in there for spots and then takes more biopsies. It's not the most enjoyable thing in the world. They make you cramp and then bleed for a few days. But that has replaced my yearly pap. I went for 2 in 1 year and then now down to once a year. I just went last week and he said that SHOULD be my last one so next year I should be back to my regular pap. If you want to know more about the Coloscopy... send me a private message :-)
Here is all the information you need:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/Pap-test
It's also very, very rare to develop cervical cancer (or have pre-cancerous cells on your cervix that can lead to cervical cancer aka stage 0 or stage 1 cervical cancer) without having HPV, so you might also want to consider getting the HPV vaccine. Even if you already have a strain or it, this can prevent you from getting other strains. Also, as long as you are detecting and treating it early, there are typically no complications and little to no recurrence. Good luck!!
Another don't-freak-out comment. I had an abnormal result several years ago...had a follow up pap, and the result was totally normal. Misread first result. Normal results since then, which was about five years ago.
Just an FYI my gyn told me - a lot of insurance coverage only covers the HPV vacine up to age 26, so they market it as something you can only get up to age 26 under...but you can get it any time. You may need to pay out of pocket for it, but it is still effective, just in case your scare was potential HPV related.
The HPV vaccine isn't overly pricey if you do need to go out of pocket as I recall. My gyno specializes in high risk pregnancies and gyno cancers and hearing all of the awful stories made me get them immediately even though I didn't think I would have any encounters with people infected with HPV (you never know). It's worth it though. It's a series of 3 shots and they were definitely a bit painful, but so so worth it.
I've been there too.. had biopsy's taken and then the cells on my cervix were treated (I think by a laser), I have to have paps every 6months and have had one clear one since and am now waiting on my second, so fingers crossed.
Please remember pre-cancerous cells ARE NOT cancer, and if you catch them at this stage they can be treated.
I know its scary when the 'C' word comes out but this is the reason we have paps, a big pat on the back to all those ladies who get checked regulary :)
Was that the first time ever you had an abnormal pap? Often their first instinct is to redo the pap to see if you get abnormal cells again (apparently the cell staining procedures can have a high rate of error). I have had a total of 3 abnormal pap tests, and I get tested yearly. I go in an get retested, and each time they have come back fine. My mother had pre-cancerous cells, and had LEEP done to remove them.
You are doing the right thing by getting regular Pap smears - they caught them early, and now you can be treated. Glad you arent freaking out anymore!
I have also had abnormal paps, multiple biopsies, a couple colposcopys, etc etc and everything is fine! I still get paps every 4 months and as much of a pain it is, at least they are staying on top of it! And you are too - hope you get positive results soon!
Your abnormal biopsy should have also included and HPV test. About 90% of cervical cancer is HPV based so if you are negative chances are everything will be fine. You probably no longer qualify for the HPV vaccine. If you test negative now and you and your FH are planning on being monogamous you have nothing to worry about - HPV is sexually transmitted. Follow through with the continued testing the fact that your cells are high grade means you will need to be extra attentive to getting them taking care of. Thank god for yearly pap smears to catch and cure any weird things our bodies do. Good luck and keep us up to date, everything will be ok
Thank you so much for all of your support and helpful info!!
I got the results of my biopsies and 2 showed no abnormalities, 2 had mild dysplasia, and 1 had moderate dysplasia. I plan to have a follow-up pap smear in 4 months (which is right around my wedding) to see where I should go from here.
The doctor didn't do an HPV test with the biopsies so I asked him to do one and I'm still waiting to hear the results of that. My FI went to a urologist to get checked for any signs of HPV and they didn't find anything. I'm really hoping that I don't have it because I have had the vaccine so I'm hoping that I'm protected. I've also had very limited sexual experience so also hoping that helps too! Thanks again!
I am glad you got some good news back!
I have had a irregular paps come back a few times - and each time they just monitored me every 6 months for 2 years and everything was fine!
Eventually my doctor gave me tips on what to do before your pap to get accurate results (if only I knew this years ago before all the paps!!!!!)
- Don't have sex two days before the pap
- Make sure that you go for the pap in the middle of your cycle (2nd week of pills)
Good luck - I hope that your next paps come back normal!
Every single pap I've ever had has come back abnormal, but the follow up was always fine.
Good luck, and I'm sending good vibes your way!
Glad there is good news! I agree with Future Mrs Martin about the things to do before just to make sure there isn't anything there that shouldn't be.
@futuredrbraun: with regard to your comment "my FI went to a urologist to get checked for any signs of HPV and they didn't find anything," they usually won't.
My story is actually similar to yours. I was a virgin ("limited sexual experience") until I was 28 years old. I have only had sex with three men EVER in my life, and I had never had unprotected sex EVER. About 8 months after I met my FI, we were in a committed, monagamous relationship and I decided to go on the birth control pill. Because I have always been very cautious of my body and my sexual health I would not even consider getting on the pill and having sex without condoms until we both had gone to doctors, been tested for all STD's and had written PROOF that everything was clean and we were both disease-free. My pap, bloodwork and battery of tests came back normal, as did his, everything came back fine, and I went on the BC pill.
Imagine my shock and horror when I go to the doctor for my annual pap and they tell me I have "HPV and pre-cancerous cells." Like you, I had the biopsy which showed mild dysplasia too. My doctor was pretty cold about it, acted like it was no big deal. When I told her that I didn't understand- had that meant that my FI cheated on me? She said no. When I explained he had been "tested" for all STDs she told me that you can't really "test" males for HPV and that unless a doctor stuck a cotton swab in the head of my FI's penis (which she added most men would NOT allow a doctor to do that) then there would be no way of either of us knowing that he had contracted HPV from a previous partner. Males often show NO signs at all of having HPV which is why it is so easy for them to spread it to their female partners without realizing it. She also told me that it wouldn't have mattered if we had used condoms, as you can get HPV through "skin to skin contact" and that condoms are not 100% effective in preventing it. I was shaking when I left the doctor's office. I felt like I was going to vomit. My fiance felt awful that this happened and called the doctor's office to flip out. When I explained that my doctor said his HPV would not have shown up on the STD tests they ran on him, he was like WTF?
The good news is that my last pap came back "normal," and my doctor says that a very large number of sexually active women, even those in "monogamous relationships" contract HPV all the time. Also, my doctor says our immune systems will usually fight it off and it with regular monitoring/paps, it will not progress to cancer. She said that the majority of HPV patients that progress to cancer are women who do not go for paps regularly.
So don't worry. You are not alone.
I had a few mildly abnormal paps before my gyn did a colposcopy, where they basically freeze off the first layer of cells on your cervix. It felt really really strange, I had horrible cramps, and I had to take the rest of the day off work and wear pads for a week or so, but it worked. If they offer you that procedure, I wouldn't hesitate to have it done.
Hello, on the subject, Im a little upset.
I had an abnormal pap after my son was born.
when I was first told, the cold hearted nurse told me while I was weighing my 3 week old son right in hall way
YES HALL WAY
that I had cancer, I became hysterical.
any ways come to find out it was abnormal cells.
any ways tyo make a long story short.
I had the freeze done and 10 years into having normal paps, I got an abnormal result back in January,well my doc is gonna repeat it next month.
I was hoping I was through all that but i can say I get my paps done Every year and FOR 10 Years they have been Normal.
My doc said he did NOT see any Pre Cancer cells. He does not seem worry which helps me not to worry as much.
But I do worry.
He said as my DH says I worry over everything But I am glad I did not let this go and I am having Paps every year for 13 years.
It helps less worring knowing there is not any pre cancer cells.
And doc said it has been Good that the last 10 years have been normal.
Do you think we having a pap5 days before my peroid has anything to do with abnormal result?
I had a repeat pap test done thursday, and it was GREAT, and was tested for HPV, and it was negitive also :) I dont have to go in for a year.
He said the abnormal pap was probably do to a yeast infection I kept while using purex laundry soap :)
Dont worry! My best friend that had exact same thing happen to her. LONG story short, the "cells" clearned themselves up with the help of medication and she is happily healthy and just had a beautiful baby girl. I remember she found out in high school. I remember her coming to my locker one day crying because he mom had called her at school to give her the news. Shes totally fine now.
Docs have the power to freak the hell out of ya! Sometimes I wonder if they use that...hmm....
I had this happen several years back as well. I've had LEET, the freeze thing, and probably all other kinds of unecessary things. But paps have been clean for years now. My only suggestion is that if you do need to have any procedures done, make sure to get a second opinion beforehand and that you also go to someone who is a specialist in the treatments. I was left with tons of scarring from my procedures and my cervix is a bit shorter than it should be. Good luck to you and don't be worried! It will all be fine.
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My doctor called and said that it was urgent that I come in to have a biopsy on my cervix and he said that he had found the most severe type of pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I had the biopsy yesterday (he took 6 biopsies) and I am waiting for the results. It would be really helpful to hear from others that have gone through this too!!