[contentuser]

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Cervical Dysplasia(Free Handout)




Prevention



Women can minimize risk for cervical dysplasia and reduce the chances of developing cancer by taking these preventative measures:

Pap smear—A Pap smear screens for changes in cervical tissue. Identifying dysplasia early may prevent it from developing into cervical cancer.

Avoid high-risk sexual behavior—Practicing monogamy or limiting the number of sexual partners decreases exposure t...Read the full article

[laqlaq2002]

Hello,

I am 42 years old and have had the HPV virus for about 10 years. It started out as warts but just about 2 years ago, evolved into precancer stage. The upper vagina was showing the pre cancer (I was treated with laser ablation0 but the cervical cone biopsy did not (it was negative). One week ago, I went to my oncologist gyno and he said it came back just as severe as originally detected. 6 months prior to this, I had another procedure performed for a different purpose (froze my eggs) and during this time, they performed an Endocervical Curretage (ECC) which came out negative. They did not note anything on the upper part of the vagina - this is concerning because now 6 months later, there are precancer cells on the upper part of my vagina and I am told I have moderate to severe dysplaysia. They have performed another ECC to recheck the cervix.

He is recommending a partial hysterectomy (Uterus, upper 1/3 of the vagina, and cervix removal). He told me to think about it because I have not had children yet but he said if that factor was not in the way, he would recommend the partial hysterectomy right away. I am torn because it would seem that I should be able to get another cone biopsy and laser ablation to get rid of it (at least for a period of time) and then think about the partial hysterectomy after I have a child (I do not know when this will be because I am not in a relationship at the moment). Of course, if I delay, I feel I might be taking a large risk that it comes back or returns as full fledged cancer. Does anyone have a feel for the probabilities with the return of full fledged cancer or does anyone know who could answer this question? I just want to know what kind of chance I am taking here by waiting especially when this is the second time this is showing up.

Thank you!

LAQ