My sis just got a letter from her Gyn saying she had an irregular pap and they tested for HPV and she was positive. She is 19 and had the series of HPV shots a few years ago, so why would she still have this? She has to have a colposcopy. Has anyone had this and is it painful? I just want to reassure her some way.
Re: HPV, colposcopy and biopsy question
This, for the most part. The HPV vax only covers the most common HPV strains. I think it is 4. There are a lot of different strains. The vax doesn't guarantee 100% resistence.
vaccine only protects you
from 4 strains of HPV,
and there are 18 total.
The biopsy was painful
for me, but I am a huge
baby. It was quick, and I
was somehow comforted
by seeing the chunk of
cervix they took out.
Gross, but fascinating.
Mmmm...cake!
I get a letter too. They check off whether you have hpv and tell you to call for f/u.
Yep, sh!tty huh?
PCOS, Ectopic & M/C of twins October 2010, Currently TTC #2
That seems to me like something you'd not want to find out in a letter.
Mmmm...cake!
coming in WAY late to this, but here it is anyway.
There are over a hundred different types of HPV, very few are really "bad". Those strains either cause genital warts or can cause cancer.
The Colposcopy actually only refers to the scope they use to look at the cervix. They put in a speculum, apply some vinegar to the cervix (it turns white on the atypical cells), and then they just look at it.
From there, if the spots are large, worrisome, or there are a large quantity, they may decide to take a biopsy of the atypical cells. They take a little this thing that kind of punches out some of the cells. It can be a bit painful. They had me cough to shift the cervix's position. The best thing to do is pop a couple of ibuprofen or nsaid of her choice an hour or so before the procedure.
After the biopsy they applied a peanut butter looking substance that helps with clotting from any possible bleeding. There can be some mildly uncomfortable menstrual like cramping. Yet again a couple pain relievers help.
And like a pp said (and her doctor probably told her) most cases go away on their own. Mine took about 3 years and child birth to go away. (My doctor so eloquently put it that childbirth "destroys the cervix" so it's like starting with a clean slate. LOL)
If you have any more questions, you can PM me