High risk hpv test

franchescasc

franchescasc

New member
At my most recent visit to the gyno, my Pap test was abnormal, and my HPV test was positive for a high-risk strain. I got the letter on Saturday. I'd changed phone numbers and forgot to let the doctor know. So I have to wait until tomorrow to call with any questions. But I'm kinda freaking out. I know HPV is super common, and doesn't necessarily lead to cancer, but damn.

No other sexual partners for my husband or me until we fell into this relationship with MD. And here I am. 😕 I'll have to tell her, of course, but right now I have more questions than answers.
 
HPV is extremely common. I think about 80% of the population will get it. The majority of them won't know, because it's usually asymptomatic. I am sorry you got that news and it freaked you out. I had it about 5 years ago and it upset me and freaked me out, as well. My doctor had me get the vaccinations and I haven't had any problems since. As long as you are having regular check-ups, there really isn't anything to get yourself worked up about. They will probably want to give you another Pap in 6 months (yes, you have to wait that long) because if you have them too frequently you can build up scar tissue. Just have everyone get checked out and relax. Stress won't help you either. It's really not a big deal.
 
I've gotten a positive result in the past. Then they've tested me again and got a negative result. They've always told me the tests can be inconclusive and that is why they test you a second time. This has happened several times in my life. But last few times I got tested, it always came out neg., so I tend to believe that there can be some false positives for various reasons or certain conditions. So, don't jump to conclusions. Talk to your doc about it.
 
Vaccines are not cures. The idea of any vaccine is to expose your body to an inactive form of the disease so that your immune system learns to attack it and is ready for action if it ever meets the real thing. If you've already caught the real thing, and you didn't die (i.e., your body overcame the virus) then it already knows how to combat it next time, and the vaccine is pointless.

That being said, the HPV vaccines target a few different strains. So while getting the vaccine won't do diddly squat to a strain you've already contracted, it may prevent you from being infected by a strain you've yet to encounter.

HPV is like the cold or flu. Virtually everyone gets some strain of it at some point. Healthy bodies dispose of it in due course, and life goes on like nothing ever happened, give or take a few extra antibodies coursing through your veins. It's not like HIV or herpes, which stay in your body forever. It can cause cervical cancer, but even then it doesn't mean the virus is still in your system. Think hit-and-run. Get your regular Pap smears to make sure that doesn't happen.
 
SchrodingersCat said:
Vaccines are not cures.
Click to expand...

No, vaccines are not cures. I was not given a vaccine to cure HPV. I was just telling her what the doctor did for me after I tested positive. (The vaccine is only for like 3-4 strains. It doesn't prevent all strains of HPV.) I tested positive, and they gave me the vaccines, that's it. 6 months later when they tested me again I was negative. Possibly a false positive? Or my body took care of it by itself?
 
I was diagnosed with abnormal cells in the cervix caused by high-risk HPV relatively recently.

High risk is what doctors call the HPV strains that can cause cervical and other cancers. They differentiate them from HPV strains that cause genital warts.

I've found this website helpful for HPV and other STI information, as well as general sexual health: http://www.ashastd.org/std-sti/hpv.html

I've written a lot about HPV in several threads, including my old blogs. Feel free to take a look - might be helpful for you.
 
The vaccine will not cure or heal an actual infection. It only helps to prevent future ones. I am not a fan of the HPV vaccine as there are many many incidences of adverse reactions. I will not even allow my daughter to get it.


I tested positive, they gave me the vaccines... 6 months later when they tested me again I was negative. Possibly a false positive? Or my body took care of it by itself?

Yes, your body would have cleared the infection on its own. It usually does, which is why the providers just retest in 3 to 6 months. Recommending the vaccine for you was likely a preventative measure on the part of your doc's office, since you are a sexually active woman and already had an exposure.
 
I, too, tested positive a while back. I had to have cells layered off and a keep procedure done. Not fun. But I'm all clear! :D The part that sucked the most was the four weeks we had to abstain from play. He got his attention, but my poor cookie was sidelined. :(
 
Thanks!

Thank you all for your responses! They helped me not freak out so much. After much reading, I think my abnormal Pap was due to a yeast infection I had at the time. Also if my HPV test was positive, it's been relatively soon that I got it, considering my husband and I have only had sex with each other until this year. So, I'm going to ask the gyno to schedule another Pap in 4 months and forego the colposcopy until then. Hopefully the Pap will come back normal and the HPV will have cleared itself up. I just quit my job and have no insurance, and see no reason to spend $1000 out of pocket for the procedure and lab costs, especially with no history of cancer in my family. (We all have heart attacks and die suddenly. :confused:)
 
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