Hpv

I am 23 yrs old I have never had a child however last year I was told that my Pap came in positive for HPV. That really scared me and worried because there is a line of cancer in my family however there are all different kinds. I know that HPV can lead to cervical cancer. I went back 4months later to redo a pap to and once again came back positive with hpv and the abnormal cells. This week i went to the obgyn that my doctor reffered me to and in 3 wks going back for a colposcopy. I am very scared and very afraid that it can possibly turn into a cancer. does anyone have any words of advice.

I'm going to give you a link so that you can better understand the progression of HPV. I like this site because it's so explanatory.

http://www.merckmedicus.com/pp/us/hcp/diseasemodules/hpvd/na

When you have the colposcopy, make sure you do the following.

1. Get a copy of the lab report. That will be the first step in educating yourself. They're a lot easier to understand than people realize, and anything you don't understand can be easily explained.

2. Make sure the doctor tells you what you have, where it's located, how extensive it is, how many cervical quadrants are involved, if it's in the endocervical canal, and if it's in the endocervical glands. That will determine, right there, if you need surgery and if so, what kind of surgery you should have.

3. If you decide your condition warrants surgery, get a thorough discussion of the risks and benefits of all your treatment options - cryosurgery, laser, LEEP, and cold knife cone biopsy - before a recommendation. This is a requirement. But by educating yourself, you'll know if the doctor's recommendation is appropriate. Each of the surgical tools has the same success rate. What you should choose depends on what you have. The ACOG also has reommendations for very young women.

It is very important to not let the doctor take advantage of your fear and rush you into anything until you have educated yourself. He needs to work in partnership with you and not just do something to you. Remember, he's not god, he's just a doctor, and you have hired him to help you get well. Part of helping you is to educate you. If he doesn't educate you, then please get rid of him and get another doctor.

It's very frightening when we realize our bodies' immune system broke down, and we have an infection (a.k.a. cellular abnormalities). But by educating yourself, you can make any decisions from a position of calm because it takes away the mystery, which removes a lot of the fear. By educating yourself, you will also make very informed decisions.

There are women who have used alternative medicine to clear up dysplasia or have used it in conjunction with traditional surgery. There is also medication proving successful in clinical trials. I can give you all of those links if you want them. There are also links that explain the different surgical choices. But again, the decision you make needs to be informed. Just take a deep, calming breath, and you can start educating yourself. Knowledge is power!