Mildly abnormal pap smear?!
Question: I had a pap smear about 6 weeks ago and I got a letter from my doctor today saying that the results were mildly abnormal and they were going to send them out for further testing. I had a baby 3 months ago, I don't know if that would change anything. I did have a UTI when they did the test, I also don't know if that would affect anything. I wasn't able to get ahold of my doctor today so, that is why I am asking here. I am 21, married and I have never had another sex partner. My pap smear at my 10 week appointment when I was pregnant was fine. So, what I want to know is what would cause it to be abnormal, and what would my next step be? do I need another drs appointment or should I wait for the results from the other tests?
Answers: I had a pap smear about 6 weeks ago and I got a letter from my doctor today saying that the results were mildly abnormal and they were going to send them out for further testing. I had a baby 3 months ago, I don't know if that would change anything. I did have a UTI when they did the test, I also don't know if that would affect anything. I wasn't able to get ahold of my doctor today so, that is why I am asking here. I am 21, married and I have never had another sex partner. My pap smear at my 10 week appointment when I was pregnant was fine. So, what I want to know is what would cause it to be abnormal, and what would my next step be? do I need another drs appointment or should I wait for the results from the other tests?
Mildly abnormal is so ambiguous. That could mean ASCUS or LSIL (low grade). ASCUS can be caused by a number of things because it is a category which encompasses just changes that are more than just reactive or inflammatory but it's not really certain if it is something more (like low grade or high grade) or if it's just an inflammatory change caused my yeast or bacterial vaginosis, etc. Your doctor probably sent it out for an HPV test, which is what they will do if someone is diagnosed with ASCUS. This will tell them if HPV is present or not. HPV is usually the main culprit when it comes to abnormal paps. Also the HPV virus, which causes low grade and above, is so unpredictable. If you have never had another partner it is pretty certain you got it from your husband. HPV is very common, and in genital HPV it is transmitted by intercourse. Your husband could have caught it from anyone, not had any symptoms and passed it on to you. Not to worry though. The majority of ppl have some strain of HPV in their bodies, as high as 80-90%. So you should not be upset with your husband, or alarmed by the whole "STD" thing. Your concern should be whether what you have (if you even have HPV) is the high risk or low risk strains. High risk is more likely to lead to a higher grade infection and is less likely to be cleared by your immune system, low risk is usually cleared by your immune system and rarely causes anything more than low grade. At any rate, all this jargon just means, if you test positive for high risk HPV your doctor will go one route to insure you do not have a higher grade lesion, and if you test negative for high risk HPV then he will more than likely let the HPV clear itself, or clean up your cervix IF you have low grade. If it is just ASCUS and you test negative for high risk HPV then there really is no cause for concern. Most likely repeat paps will be done (like every 3-6 months). It is also not too much of a problem if you test negative for high risk HPV and you have low grade. 9 times out of 10 your body can clear the infection within a couple years or so. A UTI will not cause an abnormal pap smear. Any questions? Email me.
I just got a abnormal test back as well. I went to a different doctor and he took one as well and when he got them back he said they were not abnormal at all. Mostly everyone has abnormal pap smears.
I had one a few years ago and I spent months worrying about it. They ran some tests and said I was fine. Have not had a problem since. You should follow up, but don't freak out.
I would set up another appointment and wait on the results of the other tests.
after 15 years of normal paps, i had my first ABnormal pap just a couple months ago. with my mom getting cancer, i was FREAKED OUT! i had a coloscopy & a biopsy, and it's just a mild case of dysplasia, which is the MILDEST form of the HPV virus. the nurse said i'm a LOOONG way away from cancer. i just have to go in every 3 months for a pap, then after a year, it's every 6 months, then if all is ok, i can go once a year after that.
they gave me the option of having the abnormal cells frozen off, but nooooo thank you! no pain on purpose...lol.
good luck! don't freak out until you have a reason to. TRUST me! i did and it was nothing. good luck!
Did your husband ever have any other partners? If not, it's probably nothing serious, but just wait for the test results and talk you your dr. I had a "mildly abnormal pap smear" a couple of years ago, and just had to go in twice as often for pap smears until they were normal for two in a row. I am in a high risk category though, because of prior HPV (warts) infection. Sometimes HPV doesn't appear or show symptoms, in men especially, though, so if your husband had been with other women before you, he could still have passed it on to you. Usually, though, the actual pap test will get rid of the abnormal cells because of having them scraped off. If you have several abnormal pap tests in a row, they may do other tests or treatments. Just make sure you don't miss any appointments, and my dr. also told me to quit smoking (if you smoke) because smoking can make your chances of getting cancer go up for some reason.