Cervical Dysplasia

by **nicole9** on Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:57 pm

I have recently been diagnosed with mild cervical dysplasia I am awaiting a colposcopy. Until then, I of course am worried. I have been with my boyfriend over a year and we had planned on getting married in the future. Since he probably also has HPV I am worried I will contract the virus again even if my own immune system fights it off and I get the dysplasia treated. Has anyone dealt with this before? Oh, I am also concerned HPV could cause other sorts of cancers such as colon cancer. Would I need a colonoscopy for this too?

Thanks for the advice

by **Aziza** on Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:27 pm

Hey nicole.

When I was first diagnosed with dysplasia, I felt exactly the same way you do. I was just married to my partner of 3 years December 6th, and was diagnosed from my January pap smear. I didn't have sex with my husband for several weeks, because I was so scared I was going to give something to him.
After my colpsocopy, my doctor said my husband needed to come in to be checked for signs of HPV. He went to our regular doctor (we share the same one) Here is what she said to him.
Pretty much, the only thing men have to worry about with HPV is genital warts. If neither of you can see any signs, a visit to the doctor isn't going to do much good. Besides that, once you have been with someone for a while, and yes, a year is a while :), your fluids are so well mixed together you've shared as much as you can. Her words, I swear!
So, from my knowledge, and no, I'm not a doctor....
Don't worry about it too much. Stressing is going to make it harder for your immune system to help fight off the dysplasia. Talk to your doctor as much as you need to. If you are shy about it, it will be hard, but better to know the information!
And make sure you have your regular paps, more often than once a year if your doctor thinks you need to. It might be possible to have the dysplasia again, since you can't really get rid of the HPV virus. But, catching it early means it isn't going to have a chance to develop into cervical cancer.

I hope that helps!!!
~Aziza

by **nicole9** on Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:39 pm

Thank you for the help! I am still awaiting the colposcopy results, but have managed to calm down a bit. Being able to "talk" to people who have gone through the same things certainly has helped. Congratulations on your recent marriage.

~Nicole

by **Aziza** on Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:22 am

I hope your results come back okay! With my colposcopy, I didn't even have to wait for anything, the doctor could already see the moderate to severe dysplasia, and see that it was deep...so you're already ahead of me!

Keep us posted hun, and remember, take things one day at a time :D

~Aziza

by **nicole9** on Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:55 pm

Hi Aziza,
I received my results today with a confirmation that I had mild dysplasia. I have to go back for a pap in 6 months. I've heard the immune system can clear the dysplasia, do you know if this also means it will fight off the HPV?

Sorry to hear that yours is moderate to severe. Did you have to have the cryno or laser surgery?

Take care,
~Nicole

by **Aziza** on Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:27 am

I'm not sure if the HPV goes away, I haven't read much on that yet...something to do some research on. I do know that mild dysplasia can correct itself, I have heard that taking folic acid can help your immune system fight it, easiest way to get it is with pre-natal viatimins (and no, they won't hurt you to take them if you aren't pregnant :D)

I was supposed to have a LEEP procedure today, but it was rescheduled for April 7th. The advantage is that it preserves the cells, so that it can be sent to a lab to make sure that the margins are clear. My doctor was very nice during my colposcopy though, he gave me valium to relax me. He's doing the same thing for my LEEP, and having local anestheseia. A little nervous, I'm sure I'll be more nervous as it gets closer...the procedure itself is supposed to be okay, with the anesthesia, I'm more worried about the cramping afterwards!

I'm so happy that yours came back mild, as long as you keep healthy and eat right, take vitamins, blah blah blah, you should be fine. Your doctor may have you in for Paps every 6 months for a while, just to make sure. And I would definatly ask about what happens with the HPV....like I said, I don't remember!!

Take care hun!
~Aziza

by **nicole9** on Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:43 pm

Aziza,
I hope everything goes well for you. I'm sure it will. I'm sure the success of the procedure is high as many women get it(from what I have been reading). Lucky they caught your dysplasia and mine when they did.

I wonder, have you talked to your doctor about continued sex with your husband? Sorry to be so informal, but I have been curious about a situation like this. Since I also plan on being with only my boyfriend as a sexual partner, will we keep reinfecting one another? We had planned on getting married in the future and don't always use condoms. I have heard that you can't get reinfected with the same strain, but am not sure.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I am off to the store to buy prenatal vitamins (maybe they will also help with growing out my hair-it is very short and I have such a time trying to grow it out:)

by **Aziza** on Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:14 pm

Don't worry about the informal thing, it's all good :D My husband talked to the doctor when he went in to get checked for genital warts. Basically, she said that when you have been together for a while, you've shared pretty much everything you are going to share, so you shouldn't worry too much about what might happen. Yes, it can take umpteen years for signs of HPV to show, either for male or female. But, you've already had contact with that person!

As for the use of condoms..I was always careful in college (where my first experience was). There was always a supply in my room. Condoms help against HIV and AIDS....but do next to nothing for HPV. My doctor told me that HPV can be caused by skin to skin contact, not just penetration/mixture of fluids...wonderful, right??

As for reinfecting...honestly, I'm not sure. I don't know if it is something like chiken pox, where once you have it, you build up an immunity for it, or like flu, that you can get more than once...something to ask the doctor I suppose...I do know that the regular paps are the best bet for detection, to make sure things are caught as soon as possible!

~Aziza

by **ile** on Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:25 pm

hi!
first of all ,i am sorry that you have to go throught this ,i am having this condition myself and i know is not easy. The HPV is a virus that is transmited from skin to skin ,so condoms doesn´t help.once u have it is yours forever,unless you have a hell of a imune system and eliminate it( i don´t). so you can have sex with ure bf,cuz you both already have it ,so reinfection (or more infection!) is not possible.(unless he sleeps with someone else and gets new strains) what else? oh yeah,u must know what tip of HPV u have ,if is low or hight risk for cervical cancer (i have 3 high ,one low,luckyme, right?) and of course le pice du resistence. .. the biopsy tells it all( still waiting for mine)!
anyway,it is not a easy condition as many say,it is very serios stuff and it can turn into cancer with no problem. u gotta take care of ureself and to do check ups. and u must remeber that evry individual is diffrent therefor reacts differnt to the illness,so always know the worst that could happen,and try to prevent it.
i am here for any questions that can help u!
best of luck and lot of health!

by **LLL** on Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:07 pm

hi,
i can join this conversation stating that my pap smears came back abnormal and also my biopsy stating high - grade dysplasia with carcinoma in situ so now i am gong crazy...
i have a boybriend for 4 years and i start to thing maybe me putting in mirena iud last summer may caused it.
i'm waiting for my LEEP now to see what is going on and how bad it is... i don't know if i should have sex with condoms now with my boyfriend because he smokes or what to do.
and i'm only 25...please help...i need some support