I need info on HPV and Colposcopy

[lamplighter]

I've been in the birth loss forum lately. I came here a week ago to research HPV and colposcopy. I found 2 threads. Can someone give me more info please?

How did this happen to me, I am married with a 2 year old dd and miscarried on June 7th, I was 12 weeks. I knew the pregnancy was not viable at 7 weeks, it took that long for my body to catch on... anyway the pap showed irregular cells. So then I tested for HPV and it came back positive. Now my midwife wants me to have a colposcopy.

I am scared. I am 40 and would like to have another child. I have started taking a bit more folic acid and vit. c. but how much should I take? Plus I am concerned, I have healed from mono, Lyme's Disease, and Chronic Fatigue (epstein-Barr) all in the few years before Jeannie arrived and I had a melanoma removed when Jeannie was 9 months old. Everything was clear with that too. What am I to thinkand do about all of this now?

If anyone has any ideas I would be so grateful. Thank you.

Blessings,

Beth

[Carmen]

Beth-

I too have HPV and have had two colposcopies for abnormal pap smears. I have had lesions that were not removed. Instead I would go back every 3 months for paps and the doctor monitored them. Both times they went away.

The first time it happened was after the birth of my first son and I remembered being really sacared too. The lesions wnet away on their own and after two years of clear 3 and 6 months checks, I now go once a year for a pap smear.

I have heard that in general they don't remove these lesions (if you have one) during pregnancy. They wait until after the birth.

What has your doctor said to you about all this?

[seanjoshmom]

HPV is very common. 50% of the sexually active population int he US has it. Most of the time it means nothing. Most people have no manifestations. If they do get them, it is within two years of exposure, but could be longer. The main symptoms are genital warts or abnormal pap smears. You can have low or high risk types of HPV and get either. The point of colposcopy is to look at the tissue under magnification to see if anything looks like pre-cancer or cancer, and to get a biopsy basically to provide more tissue for a diagnosis. Biopsies should not be done during pregnancy unless cancer is suspected, because the cervix will bleed too much. If you have low grade lesions, as Carmen said, they can be followed with more frequent pap smears--and pap smears usually go back to normal in a year if the immune system is functioning properly. If they persist, no big deal, just more pap smears. If you have high grade lesions, treatment is warranted, to prevent progression to cancer (up to 20% chance of this). Again, if you are pregnant, treatment should wait until after birth. Even if a person has cancer, unless it is really advanced, treatment can wait until after birth, and some would have the woman be induced early. In no way does HPV, low or high grade cells or even cancer affect yoru fertility. I encourage you not to worry, and to ask you midwife or the doctor she sends you to for more information.

[holistimom]

My dd, 19, just came back with a neg. pap after 3 months of folic acid, 1600 mcg two times a day. Her previous pap had HPV and LSIL. We had it done twice to confirm the diagnosis. Our ND wants her to stay on this dose of folic acid for 2 more months and then cut the dosage in half for 2 more months. She'll have a follow up pap every 3 months, then every 6 months if it stays neg. HTH

[lamplighter]

Thank you all! I feel relieved to have this information. I also did some research and found Dr. christian Northrop's book "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" very helpful. I also found Linda Rector-Page's book "Healthy Healing" very informative. I am now taking pychnogenal 100mg twice a day, camu - camu (superior vit. C from south america) twice daily to my bodies tolerance level,Folic Acid 800 mcg twice daily plus there is 400 mcg of Folic Acid in the B vitamin,and a sublingual B-12 at 2500 mcg twice a day. This is all to boost my immune system. I am a survivor of mono, Lyme's disease and Chronic Fatigue (Epstein-Barr) getting them all within a 4 year period of each other - so my immune system has been compromised and I was healed of those three health problems. I am also visualizing a healthy cervix. I know what my cervix looks like healthy so I have that image always in my mind. I know that I can heal from this and I can see and hear the Dr. say "I don't see a problem, you have a healthy cervix." I am determined!!

Thank you all again for your information.


Many blessings to you all,

Beth