HPV and getting/staying pregnant

[ProtoLawyer]

You can check out my post in Health and Healing for background...but long story short, I'm in that "oh crap" stage of high-risk HPV diagnosis (even though, statistically speaking, it's likely nothing or something very treatable). I've got a follow-up appointment for colposcopy next month.

Of course, I've been furiously googling (because you can believe everything you read on the Internet, right? ) and most of what I've found is reassuring (my doctor, who I trust, said that most of these referrals turn out to be nothing at all, and most of the rest turn out to require minor procedures, that don't normally affect fertility but in rare cases could affect cervical competence, to remove abnormal cells) but there are horror stories.

My partner and I want to TTC after I graduate (next year)...so, anyone here have HPV-related procedure and go on to have uneventful pregnancies and vaginal deliveries? Or does this automatically put me in the high-risk pregnancy category, should I even get there?

Thanks.

[ZoeyZoo]

HPV itself won't affect anything. Just be careful as to which procedure you choose if you have pre-cancer or cancer. Some like Cyro you are likely to have a normal pregnancy and delivery. Other procedures like LEEP and cold knife will likely lead to an incompetent cervix and the issues associated with that.

If it makes you feel any better I had cyro long ago and my pregnancy has been very uneventful with no cervix problems so far (I'm 35 weeks now). I can still have a vaginal birth (and a HB). It never put me in high rish. My possible risk from the cyro is the possibility of scar tissue on the cervix that make keep be from dialating. This can be cut by a MW or OB if this becomes an issue during labor but my MW said she rarely sees any issues with cyro (she used to work in a hospital so she was exposed to a lot there).

[leamc]

I had cryosurgery twice in my teens, and have had four children since. All normal vaginal births, with no problems. I am currently pregnant with baby #6 (I lost one early to a m/c). I don't think that the cryo is likely to affect your pregnancy/delivery at all. The only thing I have ever read is that it CAN affect your servical mucus channels in your cervix. I don't think this was a problem for me either, but it's hard to tell,lol.

Good luck, it is scary, but almost always fine!

Lea

Oh, and it has been over 15 YEARS since this happened, and I have had no re-occurance!

[EastbayK]

I had a LEEP in August 2006 and just had a recurrance and CO2 laser surgery 2 weeks ago. All 4 of the doctors I've worked with said 1 LEEP would most likely not affect carrying to term, however having multiple LEEPs or a cone biopsy might. With my first occurance, I wasn't actively trying to concieve and my ob/gyn did the LEEP. With the second, recent occurance, she knew that we were TTC and sent me to a gynocologic oncologist (I know, right? There IS a speciality for everything!) for a consult b/c she wanted to protect my fertility. He did the CO2 laser because it was less invasive. However, with the laser, there are no cells to biopsy because they are burned away so a LEEP is the preferred method.

The only problems I've noticed is that now I have less than optimal cervical mucus, which can make it harder to concieve. I attribute it to the LEEP, because it started right after. BUT, in spite of that, I did manage to concieve when we weren't even trying, so it is possible.

K

[KLM99]

I had a LEEP about five years ago (which I *totally* did not research at the time - doctor said I needed it and I just went for it without researching options). Anyway, I conceived my now-8-month-old on my husband's and my "first try," had a fantastic pregnancy and an equally fantastic homebirth. I'll admit I was flipping out about incompetent cervix for the first 20 weeks or so, but did a lot of research on it and it is pretty rare even with a LEEP. Incidentally, I've had totally normal paps since. Good luck!

[Happypants]

i had a leep in may 05 after ttc for about a year. the suggested waiting 3 months before trying again, and we conceived at the end of august 05. so maybe removing the pre-cancerous stuff helped in that regard.

however, i now have a friable cervix (bleeds easily, lots of blood vessels close to the surface), and it caused me lots of problems during my pregnancy. basically i had "unexplained" bleeding and they shrugged off my idea that it could be coming from my cervix, usually proceeding to "examine" it and causing it to bleed more. eventually i ended up going into labor--the night after a vaginal exam that caused me to start gushing blood before i was even out of the ob's office)--and my little guy was born at 26 weeks. i should have stopped all vaginal exams when i thought the blood was coming from my cervix, but the ob thought it was a minor placental abruption, so i second-guessed myself (even though they saw no blood behind the placenta via ultrasound and i had no abdominal cramping). this is an area of tremendous sorrow and anger for me, so i did well describing it without profanity, lol.

anyway, for me the leep didn't cause an incompetent cervix per se, and i think i would have gone on to have a longer pregnancy, potentially to term, if i had not allowed vaginal exams (or even that last one), but you'd better believe that if i could go back and have a different procedure that would be less likely to leave those little blood vessels exposed, i would. yesterday i had silver nitrate applied because i'm still, more than two years later, having issues.

i know you wanted positive stories, but thought you should hear mine anyway, as a warning if nothing else.

good luck, and i hope that you don't end up needing any of it done.

[PGTlatte]

I had a cone biopsy for severe dysplasia and starting four years later went on to have two completely uneventful pregnancies and healthy vaginal deliveries. With the first pregnancy my cervix was monitored by vaginal ultrasound for a while to make sure it was not starting to open, and it was fine. With the second we weren't concerned about it. Also all my paps have been clear since then, and it's been ten years now.

[Snapdragon]

I don't know from personal experience but one of my best friends has (had?!) hpv and she just had her 2nd baby- perfectly health- at aged 39- homebirth, all is well.
Be aware that the medical industry likes to scare peple into worrying about everything. Try to make sure you have support reminding you it is fine!

[Happy2bMom]

I had a cone biopsy and 4 years later had an uneventful pregnancy and birth. The only problem with my first was that I had trouble dilating during labor due to the scar tissue. This made my labor very painful and very long. However, once the scar tissue was cleared away there was no problem. MY second pregnancy was much less painful!!

[Phoenix~Mama]

Haven't gotten pregnant yet... but I had the LEEP procedure done July 2006. Doctor assured me that everything would heal fine. I have had 2 paps done since then, all clear and all docs said everything looks healthy.

I do know my good friend had the LEEP done and she has a daughter, and no issues with the pregnancy. Same with a few of my cousins.

[Catubodua]

i am so glad to find this thread!

i have had a cone biopsy, then a LEEP and put off TTC for 2 years (35 to 36) because i was warned that while i was still having paps with abnormal readings i didn't want to get preggers, only to find out i'd need procedure / procedures and might have problems because of a pregnancy.

i have been getting paps every 4 months for 4 years now and it's very frustrating - i go from mild to nothing showing to mild, etc. and i was hoping that everything would go away after the LEEP.

the good news is - from what DR said and what i've read, the chance of it going from a mild reading to a serious problem in the 4 month time span is very, very unlikely. since he knows we are TTC he hasn't suggested another LEEP or biopsy.

i am so happy to read of folks who've gone through this and still had healthy babies later!

[sadean]

I am going through this right now as well. I was diagnosed with HPV in 11/07, had a colposcopy and biopsy in 12/07 which came back with severe dysplasia. I had cryo-therapy in 1/08. I went back at the beginning of this month for my first follow-up pap and it came back with severe dysplasiac cells, so today I had another colposcopy and biopsy. My OB is recommending LEEP as the next treatment option regardless of how the biopsy comes back and I came here to search whether other mamas here have had any experience with all of this. I have had 3 kids, and I am not sure whether I am going to have any more. The OB tried to assure me that cervical incompetence was not a huge risk, but did talk about cervical stenosis as a possibility.

I am feeling very disheartened and confused.

[just_lily]

I had LEEP and laser therapy done about five years ago. All PAPs have been clear ever since.

I am currently 29 weeks pregnant with my first. We got preggers the very first time we had unprotected sex, so no issues with conceiving. My pregnancy has been completely uneventful when it comes to cervical issues (I am having some blood pressure problems, but that is completely unrelated).

My OB said that sometimes women who have had LEEP get "stuck" at a certain amount of dialation because of the scar tissue, but you really just have to wait it out, and then most women will tend to dialate quite quickly once it gives way. But this isn't even a guarantee that it will happen. I have been reassured numerous times by several doctors that I don't need to be worrying about cervical incompetance.

Nowadays, "most" LEEPS are performed relatively shallow. If you caught the cell changes early (I went from low grade dysplasia to high-grade within six months, at which time we went for the LEEP), the procedure is more or less precautionary to treat it before it becomes a real problem. They should really only be removing several layers of cells, and not radically altering the structure of the cervix.

It is more cone biopsies, procedures done a long time ago that were much more invasive, and treatments for cancer that you would really need to worry about. But of course, let your OB know once you do get pregnant.

[goin' green]

I had LEEP done years ago (when I was a freshman in college - and very naive) and had been told numerous times that my cervix afterwards could possibly make it difficult for me to conceive (small opening from scar tissue). I conceived ds without trying (one of those little accidents!) in Oct 06. Like the previous poster mentioned, I was one of those cases where my body wouldnt' dilate. I was induced (for pre-eclampsia concerns) and was fully effaced but only fingertip when I went in. After only 3 hours of pitocin I was 10cm. Came hard and fast.