HPV freakout
December 23, 2010 4:19 PM Subscribe
Ex-girlfriend's Pap showed abnormal results, what do they mean and how concerned should she be?
My recently ex-girlfriend of 4+ years just got notice of an abnormal Pap result which is almost certainly the result of HPV. Her doctor used the words "mild," "precancerous," and "dysplasia." The doctor also ordered what sounds like a biopsy, but the earliest it can happen is in two weeks. I'm guessing this is what is referred to as LSIL on the Bethesda scale (but that's a guess).
Neither of us have had sexual relations with anyone else in over 4 years, she had not had a partner other than me in 4+ years. She is understandably freaking out about this and I'm on edge as well. From what I've read on Wiki's entry for HPV, it's not unusual to get at some point in your life, but there are different strains and risk levels. Our questions:
1.) A lot of sites on the web say that HPV is usually cleared up quickly by the body's immune system (90% in under 2 years according to Wiki). But the fact that she's showing an abnormal result after 4+ years suggests that one or both of us has been harboring it for that time. Is that correct?
2.) If so, does the long amount of time we've/she's had it suggest that it's a "worse" strain and likely to last for a long time?
3.) How likely is it that her condition will progress to a worse stage and how long before she can stop worrying that's going to come back?
4.) Should she assume she's still contagious? What about me? For how long? We're both kind of freaked about being STD carriers for obvious reasons (hence the anon).
Other possibly relevant information:
She's 29.
She has had regular paps, the most recent before this one was a year and a half ago, normal results.
Her lifestyle is healthy: very little meat, non-smoker, lots of exercise.
Neither of us has had any symptoms of HPV before (warts or other), or any other STD for that matter.
My recently ex-girlfriend of 4+ years just got notice of an abnormal Pap result which is almost certainly the result of HPV. Her doctor used the words "mild," "precancerous," and "dysplasia." The doctor also ordered what sounds like a biopsy, but the earliest it can happen is in two weeks. I'm guessing this is what is referred to as LSIL on the Bethesda scale (but that's a guess).
Neither of us have had sexual relations with anyone else in over 4 years, she had not had a partner other than me in 4+ years. She is understandably freaking out about this and I'm on edge as well. From what I've read on Wiki's entry for HPV, it's not unusual to get at some point in your life, but there are different strains and risk levels. Our questions:
1.) A lot of sites on the web say that HPV is usually cleared up quickly by the body's immune system (90% in under 2 years according to Wiki). But the fact that she's showing an abnormal result after 4+ years suggests that one or both of us has been harboring it for that time. Is that correct?
2.) If so, does the long amount of time we've/she's had it suggest that it's a "worse" strain and likely to last for a long time?
3.) How likely is it that her condition will progress to a worse stage and how long before she can stop worrying that's going to come back?
4.) Should she assume she's still contagious? What about me? For how long? We're both kind of freaked about being STD carriers for obvious reasons (hence the anon).
Other possibly relevant information:
She's 29.
She has had regular paps, the most recent before this one was a year and a half ago, normal results.
Her lifestyle is healthy: very little meat, non-smoker, lots of exercise.
Neither of us has had any symptoms of HPV before (warts or other), or any other STD for that matter.
When I had an abnormal pap, my doctor told me that it's like kids eating dirt--not great that it happened, but not a big deal, either. According to this article, about 25% of women have it; the wikipedia article gives 14%-90%. She'll get follow-up paps, and they will most likely resolve themselves. One month following the abnormal pap, I had a colposcopy, and it had resolved itself. It usually does in young women. I know it's difficult not to freak out, but this is not a big deal.
1) One or both of you has been harboring the virus for a while. So is a substantial percentage of the population.
2) No.
3) Pretty unlikely.
4) Yes she's contagious. You're contagious too. I wouldn't be worried about it because it's so so so so so so common.
posted by emkelley at 4:37 PM on December 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
1) One or both of you has been harboring the virus for a while. So is a substantial percentage of the population.
2) No.
3) Pretty unlikely.
4) Yes she's contagious. You're contagious too. I wouldn't be worried about it because it's so so so so so so common.
posted by emkelley at 4:37 PM on December 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
IANAD, but I had HPV that took 6 years to clear itself from my body and 3 LEEP treatments. I was a highly unusual case, and for most women it comes and goes within a year. If she's already a non smoker her only course of action is to stay healthy and get regular paps. Out of the many many strains there are only a few that lead to cervical cancer. Your job is to tell your new partners before you sleep together (even with a condom). You are carrying it as well, and like her you might clear it any time. If you want to double check you can do a DNA test to see if you are positive for HPV.
1. Yes
2. No
3. Everyone is different. Tell her to stay away from 2nd hand smoke as well.
4. You both need to assume you are carriers.
posted by gillianr at 4:50 PM on December 23, 2010
1. Yes
2. No
3. Everyone is different. Tell her to stay away from 2nd hand smoke as well.
4. You both need to assume you are carriers.
posted by gillianr at 4:50 PM on December 23, 2010
1.) A lot of sites on the web say that HPV is usually cleared up quickly by the body's immune system (90% in under 2 years according to Wiki). But the fact that she's showing an abnormal result after 4+ years suggests that one or both of us has been harboring it for that time. Is that correct?
HPV can stay dormant for, as far as I can make out from what my doctor has told me, practically an indefinite period of time. It can go away, or just hang about not doing anything.
2.) If so, does the long amount of time we've/she's had it suggest that it's a "worse" strain and likely to last for a long time?
No, although the fact that it's manifested as cervical dyslpasia means that, years down the line, if she receives no doctor's care, she could develop cervical cancer. Caught early enough and treated (if necessary, it could go away on its own), the threat of cancer can be nearly done away with entirely.
3.) How likely is it that her condition will progress to a worse stage and how long before she can stop worrying that's going to come back?
I've been dealing with a diagnosis nearly identical to your ex's for about a year (although my dysplasia was originally moderate ranging to severe rather than mild) -- I had a LEEP procedure to remove the abnormal areas and am currently in a holding pattern to see if some lingering mild areas will clear up on their own. At any rate, I've asked both my doctors this exact same question, and the answer is always: with mild dysplasia, and at a relatively young age (I'm a couple of years older than your ex) it would almost certainly be several years before this turned into full-blown cancer if it did at all -- and those would be years where she would get regular pap smears and her doctors could catch and take care of anything before it became dangerous or cancerous.
My experience is that this is certainly a pain, and something to take seriously, but certainly not anything to panic over.
4.) Should she assume she's still contagious? What about me? For how long?
Yes, yes, and indefinitely. It's a good idea to tell your sex partners about the HPV of course, but in general the virus is so common (with most people not knowing they have it) you can just take it as a given that anyone you sleep with who isn't a virgin has already been exposed, and take your precautions from there as you feel comfortable.
posted by frobozz at 4:51 PM on December 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah what frobozz said. Also, here is a link to the CDC website that specifically addresses HPV. Lots of good (and presumably reliable) information.
posted by cdg7707 at 5:45 PM on December 23, 2010
posted by cdg7707 at 5:45 PM on December 23, 2010
Geez..... would probably help if I actually posted the link....duh
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/common-questions.htm
posted by cdg7707 at 5:47 PM on December 23, 2010
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/common-questions.htm
posted by cdg7707 at 5:47 PM on December 23, 2010
But the fact that she's showing an abnormal result after 4+ years suggests that one or both of us has been harboring it for that time. Is that correct?
It is also possible that she has been less than honest with you about more recent partners, unfortunately. Or that you are being less than honest with us about yours.
posted by elizardbits at 6:03 PM on December 23, 2010
It is also possible that she has been less than honest with you about more recent partners, unfortunately. Or that you are being less than honest with us about yours.
posted by elizardbits at 6:03 PM on December 23, 2010
I so, so personally hate the scare words used around "abnormal pap" with young women.
It's an abnormal pap. It could be anything from cancer to the technician has bad eyesight (in other words, nothing at all). Until she has the colp and it comes back positive for anything at all she hasn't been diagnosed with anything.
So, for the moment, everyone needs to calm down.
She will get a colposcopy, and the doctor will provide test results (and will probably offer to screen her for every STD/STI under the sun at this time, and she might as well take the physician up on it). When the results come back, you'll know whether she's positive or negative for anything at all. She *may* be diagnosed with a simple acetic test for HPV on the spot. I don't remember whether that was done during my colp or not, honestly, because I was so afraid I HAD CANCER that I was practically hyperventilating.
No one should be in that position. Please, both of you, calm down until there is something to freak out about.
To address your questions in order:
1.) Maybe. Please see above. The "abnormal pap" result does not always equal actual HPV. If you're really worried, go get tested yourself (DNA test as above).
2.) Not really. But, again, she may not actually have HPV. She just *maybe* has it.
3.) Others have already answered this, but in general: Unlikely.
4.) For the moment, because it is NOT KNOWN whether anyone has anything, it's prudent to proceed as if you do have HPV, which is to say, carry on with your life like everyone else on earth, because practically everyone has it lurking around in their system. I hope that as the HPV vaccine becomes more usual for *all* children, this will be less true, but for the moment, it's very common. Frobuzz has already given you an excellent answer on that.
Go forth and freak not. And, if her doctor is being a scare-monger, personally, I hope she gets another doctor.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:07 PM on December 23, 2010 [4 favorites]
It's an abnormal pap. It could be anything from cancer to the technician has bad eyesight (in other words, nothing at all). Until she has the colp and it comes back positive for anything at all she hasn't been diagnosed with anything.
So, for the moment, everyone needs to calm down.
She will get a colposcopy, and the doctor will provide test results (and will probably offer to screen her for every STD/STI under the sun at this time, and she might as well take the physician up on it). When the results come back, you'll know whether she's positive or negative for anything at all. She *may* be diagnosed with a simple acetic test for HPV on the spot. I don't remember whether that was done during my colp or not, honestly, because I was so afraid I HAD CANCER that I was practically hyperventilating.
No one should be in that position. Please, both of you, calm down until there is something to freak out about.
To address your questions in order:
1.) Maybe. Please see above. The "abnormal pap" result does not always equal actual HPV. If you're really worried, go get tested yourself (DNA test as above).
2.) Not really. But, again, she may not actually have HPV. She just *maybe* has it.
3.) Others have already answered this, but in general: Unlikely.
4.) For the moment, because it is NOT KNOWN whether anyone has anything, it's prudent to proceed as if you do have HPV, which is to say, carry on with your life like everyone else on earth, because practically everyone has it lurking around in their system. I hope that as the HPV vaccine becomes more usual for *all* children, this will be less true, but for the moment, it's very common. Frobuzz has already given you an excellent answer on that.
Go forth and freak not. And, if her doctor is being a scare-monger, personally, I hope she gets another doctor.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:07 PM on December 23, 2010 [4 favorites]
A few years ago I had an abnormal pap, then soon after I had a colpo. After a year of monitoring, it went away on it's own. My doctors never bothered to test for HPV because it is a waste of time--it's a given if you're having an abnormal pap. It can lie dormant for years, and there's no test for men. It's not worth freaking out about.
posted by autoclavicle at 7:23 PM on December 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by autoclavicle at 7:23 PM on December 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
My last two paps have been abnormal, followed by colposcopies and cervical biopsies. It was really no biggie and something a lot of women go through. It was a little strange that my HPV hadn't cleared up after 2 years, but my nurse told me that it was absolutely no indicator of the strain type and not to worry about it.
posted by pintapicasso at 9:48 AM on December 24, 2010
posted by pintapicasso at 9:48 AM on December 24, 2010
Did he definitely say HPV? i had an "abnormal" pap smear years ago (which I found out because the doctor called and told that to my father who answered the phone *embarassing!* and I was in high school at the time. yipes). What the doctor failed to mention (and which led to me freaking out for a few days) was that it was 'abnormal' because he failed to scrape the requisite number of cells from wherever he took them from. apparently there are two areas they can scrape for the pap smear, one easier but not as certain and one more difficult but a sure thing. So now I just tell the doctors that and it saves me going back for a second one. Maybe it's just that.
posted by custard heart at 12:17 PM on December 24, 2010
posted by custard heart at 12:17 PM on December 24, 2010
Another gentle suggestion to breathe deeply and not get terrifically freaked out yet.
Something you might keep in mind is that Pap tests and cervical cancer screenings are one of the most effective public health measures around. My last doc told me that it's very, very rare for women to get to advanced cervical cancer, much less die from it, because this easy and effective test generally catches problems early when it's much easier to deploy effective treatment.
All this by way of saying: even if it does turn out to be bad news (instead of, like now, the preliminary suggestion that it *might* be bad news), it is great that they caught it and caught it early.
Hang in there and be good to each other.
posted by Sublimity at 1:18 PM on December 24, 2010
Something you might keep in mind is that Pap tests and cervical cancer screenings are one of the most effective public health measures around. My last doc told me that it's very, very rare for women to get to advanced cervical cancer, much less die from it, because this easy and effective test generally catches problems early when it's much easier to deploy effective treatment.
All this by way of saying: even if it does turn out to be bad news (instead of, like now, the preliminary suggestion that it *might* be bad news), it is great that they caught it and caught it early.
Hang in there and be good to each other.
posted by Sublimity at 1:18 PM on December 24, 2010
It is also possible that she has been less than honest with you about more recent partners, unfortunately. Or that you are being less than honest with us about yours.
I am concerned that this statement will lead you to ask possibly unnecessary questions and make things more uncomfortable.
Because the appearance of HPV after several years is not uncommon. My best friend was diagnosed with HPV after being in a monogamous relationship with her now husband for at least 5 years. I believe that neither of them were unfaithful to each other. So, YES. HPV can lie dormant as long as it wants to and is NOT an indication of cheating.
To answer other questions:
2) the amount of time it takes HPV to show up has little to no correlation with the strain or severity, AFAIK.
3)everyone else covered this pretty well.
4) I would treat it like you are always contagious and please disclose to all future partners. About half of my female friends have HPV. It's really common. So I believe it's true that most people you encounter have already been exposed/are carriers/currently have it. Whether that's true or not, it's important to give future partners the ability to make their own decisions about how and whether or not to sleep with you. I don't think there is an reason to feel any shame here just because you are carrying this particular STI.
posted by itsacover at 2:30 PM on December 24, 2010
I am concerned that this statement will lead you to ask possibly unnecessary questions and make things more uncomfortable.
Because the appearance of HPV after several years is not uncommon. My best friend was diagnosed with HPV after being in a monogamous relationship with her now husband for at least 5 years. I believe that neither of them were unfaithful to each other. So, YES. HPV can lie dormant as long as it wants to and is NOT an indication of cheating.
To answer other questions:
2) the amount of time it takes HPV to show up has little to no correlation with the strain or severity, AFAIK.
3)everyone else covered this pretty well.
4) I would treat it like you are always contagious and please disclose to all future partners. About half of my female friends have HPV. It's really common. So I believe it's true that most people you encounter have already been exposed/are carriers/currently have it. Whether that's true or not, it's important to give future partners the ability to make their own decisions about how and whether or not to sleep with you. I don't think there is an reason to feel any shame here just because you are carrying this particular STI.
posted by itsacover at 2:30 PM on December 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
No.
posted by OmieWise at 4:23 PM on December 23, 2010