HPV & planning Baby number 2

[Maxymoo1]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice please! In January 2020, I went for my routine smear test and received a positive HPV result. For anyone who doesn't know what this means (I didn't)! The UK have changed what they test for in the last few years, instead of testing for abnormal cells in your cervix which can turn cancerous over time, they now test for strains of HPV, a few strains are linked to the development of abnormal cells over time and eventually cancer. 80% of women have HPV at some point in their lives and for the majority, it goes away without even showing symptoms and is harmless. It's something that is sexually transmitted but can lay dormant for years, usually coming out when you're run down, I had my first baby in May 2019 so I was more exhausted than I had ever been in my life!
So, my husband and I are ready to start trying for baby number 2. We always wanted a 2-3 year age gap and after two miscarriages we know that the road isn't always easy and we don't want to wait too long to try again. My smear is due at the end of January, results 1 month later. I know it's not that long... But we're really ready!
I asked the doctor's if there is any way of brining my test forward but they can't, I've seen that you can order tests privately and I wondered does anyone know if these tests are the same as the doctors and so if your test is negative you can go ahead and try for a baby?
Apparently in the US and many European countries, they don't agree with testing for HPV because in the vast majority of cases it's completely harmless, they test for the development of abnormal cells, so if I didn't live in the UK I wouldn't be waiting for anything and could go ahead with our plans. My test found no abnormal cells last time.
Sorry this is so long but I'm confused! Can anyone help me please? Thank you so much x

Anyone? :)

I don't have any advice but I do know they can still do a smear test even when you are pregnant.

Also sympathies, I too tested positive in June after having a baby last December and I was so upset but have no abnormal cells and have to wait till June for the second one. I actually tested in March but the sample was contaminated so I knew I was HPV positive but not if there were abnormal cells and that, coupled with everything settling down after birth and starting the contraceptive pill meant I bled irregularly and was a wreck for three months!

I would just have a chat with the doctor about what would happen if you were pregnant at the next smear test and get their views

Hi Zaffa, thank you for replying! I didn't know that you can still have a smear when pregnant so thank you for letting me know. Sympathies back to you too, it's awful finding out isn't it because it's not something that is talked about or understood by many people I don't think, especially as this is a new process in the UK. My doctor told me I have to wait until I have this test to try for another baby... But like I say, many other countries don't operate this way and the vast, vast majority of cases do go away on their own. The test is only 10 weeks away, so I'll have the results in 3 months, it just feels like a long time to wait. Thanks again for replying x

I’ve not heard of this before OP... do they still test for abnormal cells as well as HPV? Or do they just test for HPV now?

Hi coffeeoverload, don't worry, this is actually a better test than it used to be. So they test for HPV and abnormal cells, the idea being that if they identify a high strain of HPV they can monitor you every 12 months so if abnormal cells do start to develop they can catch it really early and treat it very effectively. Its just that I think it's less than 1% of positive HPV cases turn cancerous, so it can mean a lot of families don't know what to do about family planning if they have a positive HPV test! I hope that makes sense, it's a bit complicated!

I had an abnormal smear (a few years ago before hpv testing) & waited until it was followed up to try for a baby which was a couple of months later. Fortunately nothing was found but I now have annual smears & missed my follow up due to pregnancy. In my experience they won't do a smear if you're pregnant (they haven't with me in either of my pregnancies), technically they can but certainly doesn't seem to be normal practice, if they were at all unsure about it they'd just refer you straight to colposcopy as that is safe when pregnant & would give them more information than a smear would. If you were pregnant by the time of your next appointment I'd fully expect to be told to put off the smear until after the baby arrives which would be at least 7 months if not more.

If it's due in January you should get a reminder by end November / early December & I usually book in as soon as I get that, often it's a bit earlier than an exact year since my last one so you may get one a few weeks earlier which would make it a really short wait to start trying.

I think if it was me I'd wait to get the test & try to get it done as soon as I could once I got the reminder lettter. Then once the test is done I'd start trying & not worry whether I had the results as if you needed follow up they can do this safely when pregnant but they're unlikely to agree to the test itself if you're pregnant.

Hope that helps a little bit

I had a HPV positive smear last year, had a colposcopy in May this year due to abnormal bleeding (biopsies just showed HPV) and another smear in August this year which again showed HPV. You can have a smear during pregnancy but they'll usually prefer to avoid it in the first 12 weeks and may well delay it til after the birth if they don't feel it's urgent. I was ttc before my smear so didn't let it put me off. No one in the NHS (including the gynae consultants in the hospital) are allowed to order smears before they are due because it's a screening programme and not a diagnostic test but that's the only reason so I would imagine a private test would be accurate if you're that bothered by it. Personally I don't think you'd need to go private as it can still be done if you're pregnant.. The NHS website can answer your questions
www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/pregnancy/can-i-have-a-cervical-screening-test-during-pregnancy/
Good luck in your TTC journey

I can highly recommend Jo's Trust for any questions on this.

www.jostrust.org.uk

Thank you all for answering, it's really reassuring to hear your experiences and perspectives. I think because I had no idea what this was when I found out, the worst case scenario in my mind was that I miss my follow up due to pregnancy and by the time I have the next smear I've got abnormal cells and it's more serious. But from what I understand, that's rare. Superdrug sell a home test which costs £48 and you get results one week later. This tests for the high risk strains of HPV only, not abnormal cells, so that's the difference between this private test and the one that the doctor's do. Its anonymous but you have the option to send the results to your doctor adterwseds. I don't suppose anyone knows, if I did this test and it came back as negative for HPV, is that the all clear, or could the hpv go but abnormal cells have developed in the meantime? I'm trying to work out if there is any point in doing this private test, if I should hang on for the smear test date or if I should just relax and go ahead with TTC. I guess I could do the private test and if it's still positive, I'd hang on for the smear to check for abnormal cells. Sorry for all of the questions! Do I just need to relax about the whole thing?

They only look for abnormal cells if hpv positive otherwise the samples aren't checked for the abnormal cells. I personally wouldn't trust a self test! I work in a surgery and while I don't actually do the smears I do gynae exams and have watched the nurses do smears, they have to be precise about brushing the cells in the cervical opening (or around a particular area if you have an ectropion) so user error could give you a false result because you can't see your own cervix. I really wouldn't worry about it I'd just go with the flow and have the NHS smear as and when they see fit to do it

I was also worried about waiting so long for a smear test, and with COVID my usual NHS surgery was making it difficult to book one in.
I ended up going private and got an appointment within 2 days. My results also came back in less than 48 hours which is amazing.
If you can afford it maybe think about going private? It's definitely much quicker.
Altogether mine cost £185 with a 15 minute consultation.
I know prices may differ depending on where you are in the country but mine was in Essex.

I had a positive for hpv in January, like yours no sign of cell changes. I was ttc at time, kept going, and I am due in late December. So I will miss my follow up in January, but not by much (you have to wait 3 months after giving birth). I have actually had hpv plus cell changes before about 3.5 years ago which I had removed. So while I am super diligent about my smears I am also, I think, relatively informed about processes and risks involved in my decision. It generally takes 7-10 years for cancerous cells to develop, so even if you did have cell changes developing they won’t get that far in one pregnancy. If I were you I’d crack on, and if you have to delay your smear a bit it’s not the end of the world - chances are it’ll be fine, and if it isn’t the vast majority of cell changes are low grade and treatable. It is stressful though - people are so ill informed about hpv and cervical cell changes generally. Whatever you decide best of luck!