Abormal smear with High risk HPV.. anyone had this ?

[Lucy299]

Hi everyone

Just asking for some advice / opinions from ladies who have been in this situation. I don’t know why I’ve thought of this tonight as this happaned in November last year but I suffer from health anxiety and I am really stressing atm.

Last year I had a smear result come back as boderline changes hpv positive high risk ( not the same as the warts strain for those who may get confused)

Anyway I was beside myself managed to get an early coloscopy all was fine and looked healthy was told I did have a high risk type but not 16 or 18 which cases 70 percent of cancers even though this is rare . But no changes were seen on my cervix.. was told no need to inform Male partners as no test in men can’t really effect them In any way unless warts strain told to give up smoking if you do (I don’t ) and let the virus clear in it’s on.. no need for any more check ups till my next smear in 3 years.. great you would think .. notning to worry about. Well no not if your me..

I can’t stop googling things and I see contradictory things the medical websites say the virus does clear in 90 percent of people. But then I’ve read on other forums this is an std and must be disclosed and it cannot be cleared at all.. even though my doctor and the websites like nhs etc say it does clear.. that 80 percent of sexually actively ppl come into contact with it and never know women only tend to know if it’s picked up on a smear

I just want to know peoples opinions on this and if you had a similar result what happaned ? Did I clear and do you think you need to tell any new partners even though it doesn’t effect men ?

HPV is similar to chicken pox, it lays dormant in you and can reactivate later in life if your immune system is low. So you can clear it if you look after yourself and keep fit and healthy and you’ll have clear smears for 5,10 however many years then one day it can just pop up again. The problems it creates are easily treated though so just look after yourself, keep going to your smears, don’t stress and keep your vitamin c up to fight it back down. And definately do not smoke x

Thanks for your reply @widget123 I think cos I have health anxiety I’m stressing .. but mainly about the hpv I rang the cancer research help line who told me it’s line a common cold and most If not all sexually active ppl come in to contact with us at some point she said there’s no need to tell partners as they probably have had it or already do and men can’t be tested anyway. The consultant at my coloscopy told me this aswell but I still can’t seem to get it out my head

Not exactly the same situation but I just got my smear test results - no abnormal cells but I’m carrying high risk HPV. Consequently I will need another smear in 12 months to see if there are any cell changes/if I’ve managed to clear the infection. I have a 14 month old so expect it’s a combo of pregnancy and sleep deprivation since DS was born that have ‘activated’ the HPV that was prob lying dormant for some time.

From the googling I’ve done (fellow health anxiety person here) around 80% of people get at least 1 of the 200 known HPV strains and 25% of women in their 30s are carrying a high risk strain at any time. 90% of these are cleared within two years. The other 10% may be more persistent but of those women only 5-15% would ever develop into cervical cancer and that itself can take at least 10 years so would quickly be picked up with regular smears.

We all carry genes that make us more susceptible to different cancers. At least with a virus like HPV we’ve got the ‘heads up’ and can stop it before it does any real damage (chances are we won’t have it in two years anyway!)

Hi
I had a smear 2 yrs ago that showed hpv but no abnormal cells. Put on yearly smears, smear last year still showing hpv but no cell changes.
Next smear due in June, if its the same again what happens?

I have health anxiety too op so I know where you're coming from.

I had stage 1 CIN and HPV in a colposcopy at 22. No treatment. I’m now 36 and all my smears since have been clear.

@namechangre I thought it there was evidence or hpv everyone is referred for a coloscopy to have a closer look. I guess cos your cells were normal you weren’t.

You might just be one of them ppl who take a bit longer to clear it but it isn’t changing your cells.

I’m paying for the HPV vaccine either thought I’m 29 it’s now available for ppl up to 45 and some ppl might think what’s the point but the consultant told me there’s some research to show it can help to clear the strain and he said seen as I don’t have 16 or 18 it may be good to get it anyway for the future plus it protects against warts. It’s £450 but the way my anxiety is right now I don’t care I don’t want to go through this again in the future and it be a worst strain

Lucy
Yes I thought I'd be sent for a colposcopy too. About 11 years ago I had cin1 which progressed to cin3 so I had colp and lletz which cleared it, and normal smears since then up until 2017 when hpv was detected.

GP advised me to try to boost my immune system, plenty of fruit veg, sleep and exercise. Hope that next smear will be OK.

I get what your saying about the vaccine. It certainly can't do any harm, and the peace of mind it gives you is worth the cost in my opinion.

I honestly wish I could get the lot taken out (I'm 45 anyway, family complete) and then I wouldn't have to worry. Going private for a hysterectomy is too expensive for me though, it was about 9k!

OP please listen to your doctor. They’ve told you that the overwhelming likelihood is that you will clear the HPV naturally, and if you don’t it will be flagged up at your next smear when any changes to the cervix can easily be treated before the abnormal cells become cancer. If you smoke then you could consider stopping, as smoking can make your immune system less effective and mean you won’t clear the HPV as well as someone who doesn’t smoke, but if you don’t smoke anyway then it’s a case of putting it to the back of your mind until the 3 years have gone by.

Are you getting any help for your health anxiety at the moment? If you have a spare £450 burning a hole in your pocket I honestly think you’d be better off paying for a few private CBT sessions rather than a vaccination, especially as there’s no evidence that it will work for someone in your situation.

I totally understand your anxieties, I suffer with GAD.

I had a smear in 2014 which tested positive for HPV and then went for a biopsy, which showed inflammation and no further treatment. I then had yearly smears and the HPV has gone. I'm due my three yearly check this September.

Hope this helps, I'm sure all will be fine

Here is the management pathway.
If you were on routine recall and your current test is HPV+ve and negative cytology then you get a 12 month recall.
It's then another 12m recall if the same result with a colposcopy referral on the 3rd HPV+ve + negative cytology.

All HPV+ve and abnormal cytology are referred to colposcopy.
Lots of people have the high risk HPV types but only a small proportion develop pre-cancerous changes. Of those only a small proportion would develop cancer if it was left untreated.
The national protocol is if you are referred with borderline or low grade changes (and HPV+), a normal colposcopy means you're at low risk and can have a repeat in 3 years.

I'm not sure how much evidence there is to support having vaccination to "clear" HPV. It would protect you again types that you haven't already had.
Info from Jo's trust about vaccination.

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your replies

I have stopped googling for a few days and defiantly feeling a lot better I think I just need to stay if google and listen to what the doctor is saying x