cervical cancer

[btchance]

My doc knocked my Pap smears down to once every two years. All this is making me think maybe I should go back to once a year.

The guidelines are that if you are in a stable relationship and have had 3 neg Pap smears in a row, and they use a certain type of Pap, then you can go to every 2 years. you still need a pelvic every year to check the ovaries and uterus, but Paps can be every 2 years.

Edited to add: actually, I'm going to have to go back and double check something here. I know you can definately go to every two years in this circumstances, but there may be some other times. I'll get back to you in a bit on this one.

[annisk2000]

for those of us without a cervix, you too can get HPV and cervical cancer. I know it sounds crazy, but the cancer can sit up high in the "pocket" left after your cervix is removed.

HPV is rampant among single adults and unfortunatly there is no test for men so they dont' even know if they are carriers. Cervical cancer caused by HPV is usually of a slow growing type. As long as you have regular PAP's, you are in good shape. Once you have a positive PAP from HPV, and you are showing signs of displasia or growths, they usually recommend being checked every 3 months until you have 3 good PAP's in a row. It's actually rare to die from the type of cancer caused by HPV because most women get regualr check ups and it's caught early.

So, if you are "active" and have had a hysterectomy, it's still important to get a PAP. Especially if you've had more than one partner over the course of time.

The worst part is trying to sit in your saddle in the drops after having a Culpo and biopsy.

[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.

[btchance]

The guidelines are that if you are in a stable relationship and have had 3 neg Pap smears in a row, and they use a certain type of Pap, then you can go to every 2 years. you still need a pelvic every year to check the ovaries and uterus, but Paps can be every 2 years.

Edited to add: actually, I'm going to have to go back and double check something here. I know you can definately go to every two years in this circumstances, but there may be some other times. I'll get back to you in a bit on this one.

This is all correct. You can also do Paps every 2 years if a certain type of Pap is done (a thin prep), in comparision to the more traditional ones. As xeney pointed out, some doctors are not willing to do the every 2 years, and of course, any time you change partners, you need to be retested.