HPV, Pap Smear Results and Pregnancy Plans
I am a 33 year old female, I have been married for 6 years and eventually after 6 years we had a baby daughter. During this time I had two miscarriages and the doctors could not tell me why. ( My menstrual cycle is everyother two to three months). After my six weeks waiting period after giving birth I had a patsmear done, my gynie phoned to say that the cell in my uterus were abnormal and that I had to go for pap smears every six months. He did say something about that it could become cancerous. We want to have another baby, but we are unsure if we could would it take a long time once again to fall pregnant and if it is safe to do so. What are the chances of it turning to cancer?
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
About 1 in 10 Pap smears result in finding these abnormal cells. In medicine, they are called “atypical” cells. The cervical cells go from normal to various stages of abnormal: inflammation, precancerous, and cancerous. This process from normal to cancerous is called transformation, and it is caused by infection with the human papilloma virus, or HPV. As many as 10-20% of the population is infected with the HPV virus at any given time. The majority of us acquire HPV virus infection at some point in our lives.?
When atypical cells are found in the Pap smear, the test is usually repeated at 6 month intervals until the smears are clean. In most cases, the cells will normalize spontaneously, possibly due to regression of the HPV infection. If the atypical cells do not disappear spontaneously, or high-grade cells are found, a procedure called colposcopy is performed. This is a procedure in which the cervix is visualized by the doctor by means of speculum inspection, and a vinegar paint is performed, and biopsies are taken to be analyzed by the pathologist for signs of HPV infection and/or cancer.
You are safe to proceed with your pregnancy plans; there is no risk for the baby. Discuss this with your gynecologist to see if he thinks you should have a colposcopy done before pregnancy. Repeat Pap smears can be safely done during pregnancy.
This is a very interesting and timely topic because HPV vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials. At one year, the HPV vaccine was 100% effective in preventing cervical cancer. This would be the first cancer vaccine, and it will definitely be a major milestone in the fight against cancer. Someone called it the “holy grail” of cancer research. In the near future, teenage girls may be vaccinated against HPV, and thus, cancer of the cervix may be completely eliminated. We’ll have to wait for the long-term results, but if and when the results are confirmed, we’ll know who the Nobel Prize goes to!
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