cervical cancer

[Raindrop]

I was treated for cervical cancer in my late twenties and at the time (1980's) I had thought it resulted from my IUD. Knowing what I have read now, I suspect it resulted from HPV even though I had been a virgin when I met my husband. As others have indicated, it doesn't matter if you haven't been active...my husband (now ex) certainly had before we were married, and unfortunately, while we were married .

After going through semi-annual pap smears for about six years...I now am only getting annual ones. If I had a daughter, I'd definately have her get the vaccine.

[Kitsune06]

...just wish the prices weren't so damm high. I wonder if they anticipate lowering the price for the course in light of the high demand?

Damn medical practices- any time a monopoly or necessity can be created, it's exploited for all it's worth. You want to argue this point with me, let's start on insulin. Profits should not be as much of a goal as they are in the medical world.

[HillSlugger]

There's a nice NCI review of that latest HPV epidemiology study that's been in the news. One thing it mentions is that many HPV infections are naturally cleared by the body and pose little cancer risk. Also, infection by the "cancer strains", 6, 11, 16, and 18, was 3.4% overall.

[xeney]

Just a note on routine testing for HPV ... until two years ago I had Kaiser coverage, and my last PAP test with Kaiser included an HPV test. The doctor told me that Kaiser was now doing this routinely, and if you have a normal PAP plus a negative HPV test, then you can drop your PAP tests down to once every three years instead of every two years. (With the caveat that you should still have them every year if you have a new sex partner or have multiple partners.)

My test was negative, which surprised me a little because I had an awful lot of fun in college.

I have different insurance and a new doctor now, and she didn't think much of Kaiser's three-year regime but did tell me that they will include the HPV test in an annual exam if you ask them to. I also got an HPV test as a routine part of my early pregnancy testing. (Still negative, so I don't have to kill my husband.)

[Kitsune06]

Ok so there are things a lot of sites etc leave out, and I'm curious, having followed this thread awhile- once it's contracted, are you stuck with it? I keep reading that some infections are cleared from the body, but does it lie dormant like the chicken pox virus- largely non-transmittable, or dormant with outbreaks like herpes simplex?
It troubles me that there's so much people are *not* taught in schools etc, to the point where rumor and urban legend take over. Also, if the virus is cleared from the body in many cases (surely it depends on the strain contracted?) does the cervical ca risk remain? Why then is it so important to vaccinate if it's something one is capable of 'recovering' from?
Sorry to inundate with questions, but as a young 20 something who, at last check, intends to be 'active'... I want to know as much as I can.

[HillSlugger]

In general "cleared" means gone, not dormant.

HPV is more easily passed on to another person when there are visible warts present and for at least three months afterwards.

Clearing of virus is likely related to strain and to biology/genetics of the individual person. Apparently, if the infection clears there is little (researchers rarely like to say "no") risk of cervical cancer.

Although most women will probably clear most HPV infections, with repeated exposure the odds of a nonclearing infection will increase. Since the link between cervical cancer and HPV infection is strong, and since the vaccination can provide immunity to most infections it will prevent a significant number of cervical cancer cases.

"In 2006, an estimated 10,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 will die from it. Cervical cancer strikes nearly half a million women each year worldwide, claiming a quarter of a million lives."

There's a lot of good info here (the source of that quote).

BTW, I have a 10 yo daughter and will likely get her vaccinated at age 12.

[Kitsune06]

Thanks MD.
Even seeing the freaky factors (from 50% to 75% women will be infected with it at some point in their lives?!) I think I will pursue the vaccination when it's within my means to do so. I should probably actually be tested before I do so. I didn't have fun in college, but I've been with someone who had, and in multiple countries, and that's reason enough. That's the thing about being broke and also not a student- I haven't had an exam since '03. I really need to get a start on that instead of being a hypocrite and b*tching about people not watching themselves.
Thanks to everyone who's posted on this thread. Things like this are hard for people to talk about, in general, but discussion is so important and so informative to not just people posting but also lurkers.
real insight is often not appreciated enough.

[hellosunshine]

well,had a smear test today!!!NICE????


now,in the uk you see the dr for free,smear tests are free,prescriptions are £6.50 i think no matter what drug you have,and hospitals are all free-well,u can go private,but ive been lucky and the national health system has always been brill.


so,to what extent do you lot have to pay for stuff?


"the pill"is free but condoms arent unless you can be bothered to trek up the the GU clinic and sit in a room of people all lookingh slightly embarrassed!

[Kitsune06]

At Planned Parenthood it operates on a sliding scale, though they don't verify employment so I presume people lie about their income to pay less than they should. I don't even remember what it was last time I went; I was going for my Depo shots. I've been in since, but for different reasons and didn't get a real exam.

[EBD]

I am amazed at how much misinformation there is about HPV. I myself had never heard of it . . . until I was diagnosed with it a couple of years ago, after an abnormal pap. Luckily I go to a university medical center with extremely attentive women's health doctors and nurses, so my doctor explained a lot to me - unlike many other gynos here, it seems!

That said, if you are over 40 or married, your doctor probably didn't bring it up because you aren't really at risk anymore. Relax!

First, my doctor did say that *most* young women are infected with HPV at some time in their 20s, but in most people the virus clears by their late 20s without causing problems. (The 1 in 4 figure is for all women ages 14-59 - for women in their twenties the infection rate is estimated to be nearly 50%). One reason it is so prevalent is that the strains of HPV that can cause cervical cancer appear to not cause any ill effects in men. So of COURSE women get it by the droves - the men don't know they have it, and there's no reason for them ever to get tested (I'm not even sure if there is a test for men). Cervical cancer is a major killer of women in some less-developed countries, where women don't have much say in their sex lives AND don't have access to pap smears.

Regular paps should reveal abnormalities caused by HPV with enough time to clear them up before they become cancerous. I had to have two colposcopies and a LEEP procedure to get rid of abnormal cells, but they seem to have done the job. My understanding is that if I go through several normal paps in a row, then the virus may be gone for good.

My boyfriend has never made an issue of my HPV status - and it is clear I didn't get it from him (my parents were also cool about it). The shaming that goes on is ridiculous. These people who don't want girls to get the vaccine because it might cause them to be promiscuous make me crazy. I understand that you wish people would wait until marriage - but you really think CANCER is a just punishment? I do not believe that is what Jesus had in mind.

Also I would like to clarify that the strains of HPV that cause warts and the strains that cause cancer are separate strains of the virus. Warts do not = cancer.

[Cha Cha]

Timing of this thread couldn't be better - I'm going in for a colpo on Tuesday after my pap came back "atypia" and the HPV was positive. I'm 42 and in a committed relationship, so the HPV had me a little freaked at first, but after reading a lot of good information, learned that it's no reflection of anyone's morals or character or whatever. The virus also can pass thru latex, so condoms are not a reliable preventive.

Here's a very informative website you might want to check out -

http://www.ashastd.org/hpv/hpv_overview.cfm

Okay, climbing down off the soap box now...

Question: I'm a little concerned about how long the colpo will keep me 'out of the saddle' - anybody out there had one that could advise? Thanks so much! I'd rather think about that than the possibility that I have cancer... though fortunately, 'atypia' is not usually a big cause for concern. Keep your fingers crossed, please!

Amy

[Grog]

Question: I'm a little concerned about how long the colpo will keep me 'out of the saddle' - anybody out there had one that could advise? Thanks so much! I'd rather think about that than the possibility that I have cancer... though fortunately, 'atypia' is not usually a big cause for concern. Keep your fingers crossed, please!

Amy,

Good luck for your colpo. I've had quite a few of those. I was not cycling at the time but I don't think it would have kept me out of the saddle more than one day. I distinctly remember that getting my cervix scratched made me feel like I feel on the first day of my periods, which entails lower back and right thigh pain. And sometimes some bleeding. That lasted no more than a day.

It might be different for you but if it's properly done I don't think it should keep you out of the saddle for that long.

[chickwhorips]

Question: I'm a little concerned about how long the colpo will keep me 'out of the saddle' - anybody out there had one that could advise? Thanks so much! I'd rather think about that than the possibility that I have cancer... though fortunately, 'atypia' is not usually a big cause for concern. Keep your fingers crossed, please!

fingers are crossed. i had one done about three years ago. the first couple of days i was quite sore. its not the most comfortable thing to have done. my doc told me to take some ibuprofens before i went it. i'm glad i did.

i too wasn't biking at the time and don't know how long you maybe out. hopefully not to long.

[trickytiger]

Whew- this feels a little personal, but:

I was diagnosed with HPV strain 16 (the bad cancer-related one) about three years ago, after a scary (level 4 out of 5, when 5 means cancer) pap result. I knew for sure I got it from my boyfriend at the time, so at the very least now he knows he's a carrier. I had a colpo with good results - my body cleared the bad cells very quickly, and haven't had any bad paps since. That relationship is long gone and for good reasons, but the end result is that I take care of myself better- I was advised to get lots of sleep, eat well, exercise lots, and actively search out ways to reduce stress to enable my body to continue to keep the virus repressed and to "clear" it. I've taken that advice seriously- so at least some good came out of this!

I don't like the "moral" arguments against the vaccine at all. It's not a moral issue to me, and the focus just seems to "punish" women for having sex- as if you "deserve" cancer. No one deserves it!

[Grog]

Just a note on HPV transmission...

BTChance might have better info, but I was told at the time of my colposcopies that I could have been infected at any point during the previous 5-7 years, and that it can take quite a bit of time before symptoms become apparent. It was also noted to me that condoms didn't 100% protect women from getting it.

[RANT]
Without of course being careless, I think we should remain calm about infections like HPV and HSV (herpes). There are SO MANY carriers around that we wouldn't touch anyone if we didn't want to get anything. I realized recently that I have HSV antibodies, which means I have been exposed to the herpes virus. Who knows whether it's the oral (mouth, HSV-1) or genital (HSV-2) form. I come from a tradition where people kiss a lot (within the family, acquaintances etc.) and it's absolutely likely that I have caught it from some family member as a tiny kid. I don't have symptoms (warts), but I might nonetheless be shedding the virus sometimes. Will my partner and I have protected sex for the rest of our life to prevent him from being exposed to the virus? We've discussed it together and the answer is : no. It's not HIV. It's herpes. (I'm aware of the risks if there are active infection sites during childbirth, and we'll take care of that when the day comes, if necessary, of course.)

And in all cases it's not a moral issue. It's a virus.

Moreover, recently, I have heard more and more of the hypothesis according to which some virus actually protect us. Someone posted the example of the link between obesity and some virus: those who have been exposed to said virus (can't remember which) are less likely to be obese than those who haven't. I can easily imagine that our knowledge on viruses is VERY limited. An interesting book was recently published, Survival of the Sickest (http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Sicke...dp/0060889659), I wonder if some of you guys have given it a look. I think it's far from a definitive view, but probably attempting to live in a sterile world hasn't done us only good...
[/RANT]