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Original poster

I have been tested positive for HPV

75 replies

MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 09:20

Last week, I got the results back from a smear, which showed I had abnormal cells showing CN1 - CN2 with a positive for HPV.

Today I had a Colposcopy which the doctor said showed definite signs of abnormal cells. He has sent the bioposy off which will take 10 days to come back.

My question is, what now. I am trying to find out info on the net and am scaring myself as everything comes back with cancer info, and as you can imagine I cannot comprehend the info, and am unsure what to think, as my doctor told me I don't have cancerous cells 'yet'.

I have never slept around, yet my boyfriend has just admitted to me he had a blow job from a prostitute in a hotel, when he was away on business a couple of years ago. Could she have passed this onto him, and then he passed it onto me? He has not had signs of warts etc though, which I do not have either.

Will I have HPV for life? and will it affect my chances of conceiving?
What kind of results do you get back from a biopsy? will I be on medication, can the HPV be treated with medication?

Sorry for so many questions, I am hoping someone who has HPV will be able to advise me better, because the information I am reading from the internet is really making me worried, and I just need someone to tell me the facts straight up.

OP posts:
beansprout · 19/03/2007 09:23

This just means that you have some cells that may or may not go on, at some point, to develop into cancerous cells. There is nothing to worry about at this stage. This is the point of regular smear tests - to catch things early on. Your doctor will tell you what your options are. I had a form of laser treatment which got rid of the cells. Mine was under a general as I find these things extremely difficult but I also know people who just got it over and done with, while they were awake. This was a few years ago and I have been fine ever since.

Please don't worry, you will be fine!

expatinscotland · 19/03/2007 09:26

I had CN2 and my colpo sample came back positive for two strains of HPV.

I had a loop electroexision procedure for CN2 back in 2002 and have had normal smear tests ever since!

I have two little girls.

You'll always carry the virus, but many do with no abnormal smears in their entire lives.

Roughly 70%+ of ALL sexually active people have at least one strain of HPV.

janinlondon · 19/03/2007 09:27

70% of people have HPV. Most have no idea. The new vaccine to prevent HPV infection will probably be licenced in the summer. HPV itself will not affect your chance of conceiving...or anything else really. The problem is that HPV seems to be a precursor for cervical cancer in some cases. That is what the biopsy is about. But don't panic. You don't have the results yet. The Cancer Research Campaign website has some good info if you want to take a look.

expatinscotland · 19/03/2007 09:28

I had my loop electroexicion procedure under local anaesthetic.

You don't have to have sex with someone to contract HPV, and the strains which lead to cervical cell abnormalities are NOT the same ones that give you genital warts - this is a very common misconception, but there are literally hundreds of strains of HPV.

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 09:56

Thanks for all your advice, I am still trying to get my head around all this, and also trying to deal with the fact my boyfriend had oral sex with a prositute - this really is not helping matters! But I guess its the nature of the beast, with regards to the country we live in.
At least I know it won't affect the chances of getting pregnant, that was my biggest fear.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:00

i had CIN 3 6 years back, i had to have the lazer treatment to have it all removed and although not nice, it was all taken and all my smears since have been clear(touch wood they remain that way!)
Nurse also told me i had genital warts!!!!!!, but then went on to explain that these too lie dormant in all sexually active people!, they are so far inside not to cause any probs but>

StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:00

why where to you live and why does that excuse him?..another subject i know but all the same

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:09

In Asia.
Its normal practice to have women 'accompany you' and at Kareoke bars etc. Apparantly he went with a woman in a hotel kareoke bar. Very sophisticated of him I must say.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 19/03/2007 10:14

TBH, Anthea, if I were you I'd have a full STD screen. Sorry, but he told you he had a blow job only from this woman. Which may or may not be true .

suejonez · 19/03/2007 10:19

The majority of sexual active people have this strain of HPV - and its the reason why nuns very very rarely get cervical cancer (or if they do questions should be asked ). You don;t need to sleep around to get it, only with one person!

Yes you will have it for life and it will have no effect on anything except more regular smear from now on (annually). The HPV which causes changes to the cervix is ust like the common cold sore virus and you shouldn;t think of it any differently than that.

Like Strawberry I had CIN 3 result about four years ago - had gone too far for colposcopy/laser so I have to have a cone biopsy (they remove the lining of your cervix surgically). I was approved for fertility treatment immediately afterwards.

CIN 1 is mild changes
CIN 2 is only moderate changes

Although treatment to remove the offending cells is recommended, many CIN 2 results would go back to normal on their own as well but its just not worth taking the risk.

If you have had a colposcopy then chances are that you have already had all the treatment you will need (assuming they treated what they found on the spot). The biopsy will I think just confirm that CIN diagnosis as the smear test isn't 100% relaible.

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:21

For visa reasons last year, I was tested for HIV and when I recently had my smear I was tested for clamydia [sp]. Both came back negative. What else could I be tested for that may not have been shown up with symptons? Would the biopsy I have just had today show any signs of other std's?

OP posts:
NotanOtter · 19/03/2007 10:23

is that true Expat??????

I wish

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:23

Also, I just wanted to add, I wish those who also have HPV all the best with your health. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

OP posts:
StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:24

at your dh getting away on the... 'normal practice to have prostitutes accompany you to tacky kareake bars!, are you both asian or do you just live there?

suejonez · 19/03/2007 10:25

out of interest - cervical cancer is being targetted as the first cancer to be eradicated I beleive as its so easy to prevent/detect/treat. When our DD's are our age it maybe a disease of the past.

StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:25

sorry, mine were not called genital warts..something much more sophisticated..but warts caused by being sexually active allt he same!

suejonez · 19/03/2007 10:27

Oh and my boyfriend (at the time) played the "Oh it so normal it doesn;t really count" re blow jobs in HongKong so I said - "thats OK then you won't mind if I have oral sex with the porter" Apparently that was different.

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:32

We are not Asian no, just Brits living and working in Asia - well he is working not me unfortunately. He always told me he was not like the majority of men who work here, who think they are suddenly gods gift and take advantage of the sex and feeling like an Adonis. Over 70% of expat marriages break up here, due to affairs. I refuse to become another statistic. I think my partner was very drunk, and got carried away 'with the moment'. Whether or not I continue to think that way is another thing though, we have had loads to deal with living here, and I am just taking each day as it comes to be honest.

OP posts:
StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:32

..good one

StrawberrySnowflakes · 19/03/2007 10:33

sorry, but not even being brought up to think that is 'the norm' but thinking he can do it and get away with it by saying that???..he's pathetic!

suejonez · 19/03/2007 10:35

MuckyAnthea - did they actually treat the cells at the time of the colposcopy?

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:35

But living in a country like Asia, where it is readily available on tap - means most men think it isn't a problem to have oral sex from a prostitute. Honestly you would not believe what goes on in bars here, and what is seen as acceptable behaviour amongst expat men.

OP posts:
suejonez · 19/03/2007 10:37

MA - yes I have seen it - thankfully only as a visitor, I think life in HK is a bit like a throw back to the 70's in terms of sexist behaviour and what working men get away with.

Original poster
MuckyAnthea · 19/03/2007 10:37

The doctor put some kind of vinegar solution on the cells, and took a biopsy, which has to be sent to Hong Kong, as he does not trust the hospitals here to give a reliable result. As far as I know, he did not do any treatment then, he said he had to wait for the results before they decide what to do. He could see the cells were abnormal though.

OP posts:
Mumpbump · 19/03/2007 10:39

Other tests which wouldn't be picked up on a smear test would be syphilis and gonhorrea (sp?). You need blood tests for syphilis and a swab for gonhorrhea. IMO, you don't have to sleep around much to get a STD, you just have to sleep with someone else who sleeps around a lot. I'd go and get tested for peace of mind, if I were you...