Anyone ever had an abnormal pap result?

userdeleted

I got a call from my doctor's office today saying mine was abnormal, but only slightly. She said if they rated the results from 1 to 5, 1 being normal and 5 being really bad, mine would have been a 1.5. She also said that they tested for HPV and I don't have that, and that they would just want to see me back next year as usual.

So this is fairly common right? I'm not really worried about it, but maybe just a teensy bit nervous. I could use a little "there, there, everything is fine" if anyone has some of that to spare

lovemydog

I had an abnormal pap about 7 years ago and it turned out fine - I just had to go back every 3 months for a year.   And I had a pap a few weeks ago that was slightly abnormal, and they want me to come back in a few months for a repeat exam.  It's definitely fairly common.  Is your doctor having you go back for repeat exam in a couple of months?

userdeleted

No they said that they didn't need to see me back until next year. I wondered if that was normal too.

maribel922

I'm pretty sure that those things come back abnormal quite frequently.  It's good that your results came back so low on the scale and that you don't have HPV.  I actually do have stupid HPV and was the step before precancerous and had to have the LEEP procedure done last summer, which really freaked me out.  Something that was reassuring to me was the fact that since they started doing these tests, the number of women dying from cervical cancer has gone down significantly.  Even if your number did go up for some reason, they would be on it very quickly!  Since you are such a low-risk, they are just going to keep a close eye on you, but since you don't have HPV, I really wouldn't worry about it, too much.  It might have just been a glitch on your test.  Just make sure you are getting your scheduled paps and you will be fine. 

mlf625

Rach03k:

No they said that they didn't need to see me back until next year. I wondered if that was normal too.

That's exactly what happened to me after my first pap after having Anderson.  Abnormal, but just ever so slightly.  I told them I was nervous about waiting a whole year so they did repeat it (maybe 6 months later?) and everything was totally normal.  I think it happens a lot after giving birth.  I'm pretty sure I remember Dr. S saying something about that. 

I say if your doctor wasn't worried enough to have you repeat it, you have nothing to worry about either! 

userdeleted

mlf625:

Rach03k:

No they said that they didn't need to see me back until next year. I wondered if that was normal too.

That's exactly what happened to me after my first pap after having Anderson.  Abnormal, but just ever so slightly.  I told them I was nervous about waiting a whole year so they did repeat it (maybe 6 months later?) and everything was totally normal.  I think it happens a lot after giving birth.  I'm pretty sure I remember Dr. S saying something about that. 

I say if your doctor wasn't worried enough to have you repeat it, you have nothing to worry about either! 

You know, I wondered if it could have been because I just had a baby. Thanks, it's "good" to hear you had the same experience ("good" as in, thanks for sharing, not "I'm so glad you had an abnormal pap, lol )

Temp919044062507573

Mine were coming back abnormal for a little while. I think they might have had you come back in 6 months had it been a high grade of severity- I had to repeat every 3 months for a little while. They did cryotherapy to get rid of the abnormal cells and even multiple biopsies. Just make sure you don't your pap next year and you'll likely be back on track. Mine have since returned to 'normal'.

Mrs.Froggianna

Just about every other Pap I've gotten since 2000 has come back abnormal.  The first time it happened they did a biopsy to be safe, and it came back normal.  My doc explained that sometimes there's just bacterial growth that interferes with the way the cells look under the slides.  When one comes back abnormal, I usually have to do a repeat in 6 mos. to check on it.  I've never had two back-to-back abnormal tests.

If your doc isn't worried I wouldn't be either.  Though I know that's easier said than done sometimes.,

Abrooks

I had one in college but it was HPV. It all turned out fine though.  If they verified no HPV, then I wouldn't be too concerned. 

Mrs.Purdue

i'm not a mama, but i had one in the same situation as you a few years back (actually it was probably 5 or 6 years now).  they said the same thing and also didn't want to see me back until the next year.  they just wanted to tell me to make sure that i didn't skip mine next year. 

bad thing was that they called on a friday while i was at work and said for me to "call them", but i didn't get the message until they were closed and i had to wait until monday morning.  i was sure i was dying of cancer the whole weekend.  end result - everything was completely fine with my next (and all subsequent) paps. 

ali-1411

kerij1028:

Mine were coming back abnormal for a little while. I think they might have had you come back in 6 months had it been a high grade of severity- I had to repeat every 3 months for a little while. They did cryotherapy to get rid of the abnormal cells and even multiple biopsies. Just make sure you don't your pap next year and you'll likely be back on track. Mine have since returned to 'normal'.

Ditto this.

I did research on it at the time, and there is actually stuff in a man's semen that can cause abnormal cells to grow.  Like if he smokes, that can cause issues.  Crazy, huh?

MrsMillerTime

kerij1028:

Mine were coming back abnormal for a little while. I think they might have had you come back in 6 months had it been a high grade of severity- I had to repeat every 3 months for a little while. They did cryotherapy to get rid of the abnormal cells and even multiple biopsies. Just make sure you don't your pap next year and you'll likely be back on track. Mine have since returned to 'normal'.

ditto.

Ruby44

Yep it's common and nope, you should try not to worry about it. I had an abnormal pap when I first got pregnant ( I think... don't they do one at your first pregnancy appt?? It's all a blur.) and my doctor said sometimes they are abnormal just b/c of pregnancy and that we'd do another one 3 months PP. At 3 months PP, it was still abnormal so he did a biopsy (I think the procedure is called colposcopy). It was painless. He took two biopsies and they both came back as "not too abnormal" (I'm sure that's  not the scientific name for it but I can't remember exactly) so I go back for another pap in a year.

My doc said the only time he's ever seen cervical cancer is in women who haven't had pap smears for 5-10 years. 

richardslove

yep!  I did right after having dd.  I had an abnormal pap in October, did a colpo in November, and the cells came back normal.  Had another pap in April (normal) and in October (normal), and now am back to once a year paps.  It's common.