cervical cancer

[Grog]

I hope BTChance will provide more enlightening details, but as someone who's been treated for weird stuff on my cervix I can give little info I have.

The pap smear does not test for HPV, it looks for abnormal cells on your cervix. If abnormal cells are found, a test for HPV will be made. However I don't think it matters that much whether the source of the abnormal cells is HPV or something else, it has to be treated anyway, and there is no way to take HPV outside of your body once it's there.

There is a new test around supposedly that is much better than the pap smear but I haven't experienced it personally and am not sure whether it's been approved for mass use.

Pap smears are not totally and do not catch everything. Which is why it is very important to get one every year so that you increase your chance of catching any problem early. Abnormal cells on your cervix, if let to their own nasty thing, might lead to cervical cancer and other cancers in that area. Sometimes they just disappear, too.

Where I'm from, "promiscuity" is not so much of an issue and few people freak out when teenagers have sex. I've always been told that early start of sexual activity is a risk factor. It makes sense: the longer you've had sex, the more chance you have of being exposed to the virus. I don't see it as a moral issue. I encourage you to do the same with your partners, friends, daughters. As others have mentioned, most women who are sexually active have been exposed to HPV. Not all will develop cancer as a result. But it's a virus that's basically omnipresent. Like, by the way, HSV (herpes) that is thought to be present in about 1/6 people if not more. Making it a shameful thing just prevents people from seeking treatment.

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RM: GO GET THAT ULTRASOUND. NOW. You don't want to wait until the funny looking ovaries start behaving funny. If only for that reason: it HURTS terribly. (Think of a man being repeatedly kicked in the balls.......) And the earlier you get them to straighten their act - or are reassured about it - the better.

[chickwhorips]

my pap keeps coming back abnormal. i don't know why. a couple years ago they took a chunk of my cervix and tested it, but nothing was wrong.

why do i keep having abnormal paps? bc it keeps coming up, i don't really want to keep going back every couple of months to be checked. specially when nothing comes from it. i'm so frustrated.

i've considered getting vaccinated, but don't know much more about it. i hear its good to get until your 26, which i just turned. still debating about it. they probably don't have it out here in the bush, but in town they probably do. i just haven't heard much about it or if my insurance will cover it.

[DrBadger]

For those of you curious about the vaccine for HPV (it is called Guardasil and is made my Merk) it is a series of 3 shots given over 6 months. It is currently FDA "approved" for girls 12-26 in the US. However, this is just a guideline, and many doctors will give it to women older depending on circumstances. Generally they are giving it to women who have not become sexually active yet, as this is the only way to know that they haven't been exposed to one of the 4 strains of HPV that it is effective for. However, I believe that some doctors are giving it to people who have already been sexually active because the chances that they have already been exposed to all 4 strains is pretty low. As for insurance covering it, some are, some aren't, and it might depend on your age.

I have had two of my 3 doses, and I didn't start it until I was 27 (am 28 now), but I had talked to my Dr. the minute it was approved by the FDA since my mom had cervical cancer, and I have not yet been sexually active. While cervical cancer is usually caused by one of the HPV strains, it is still unclear why it only forms into cancer in some women, and there is a thought that that part of it might be genetic. My insurance doesn't cover it (yet), but I can get the vaccine at cost at my university. It is $135 for each injection, so ~$400 for all 3. In my mind, that is a small price to pay for decreasing my risk of cervical cancer.

I would encourage anyone who is able to to get the vaccine, and if you (or your daughters) are in the age group, or close to it, and there is a history of cervical cancer in your family I would really push the Dr. to let you get it ASAP, even if you have to pay for it.

RunningMommy - I know what you mean about this being a touchy subject for partners... my mom only had 1 partner, my dad, and the Dr.s do know that HPV caused her cervical cancer, so my dad hates that there are now all these ads about cancer being caused by a sexually transmitted virus, because it implies that he gave it to her. To add to it, she had to have a full hysterectomy, so no more kids.

For those of you older or yunger, I know that Merk is running clinical trials on women over 26 and on men (so they can't transmit it), so keep watching.

Also, word of warning... the injection hurts like a b**ch! Apparently it is the silver solution they use as the carrier. My clinic has found that the slower they inject it the less painful it is, so suggest that when you get it if they don't say anything.

[matagi]

As already mentioned the routine Pap smear looks for abnormal cells. It does not look for the presence of HPV. If you are concerned about HPV then you need to ask for additional testing to look for wart virus DNA.