Confusing Pap/Colp Results - Any advice?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello lovelies!
I am new to the boards but have been lurking for quite awhile now.
My name is Reem, 29 years old and generally in good health.
I went for a check up in January (Physical, Blood Work, PAP) and got a call a couple weeks later telling me that my pap was ASCUS and HPV. I was a bit dumbfounded by this because I have only ever had one partner in my life who is my husband. Of course I started going crazy thinking how in the heck did I get this? Did he pass it on to me. etc.. I had absolutely NONE of the risks either so it was really hard to understand. When i reached out to my doctor about she said something around 95% or so that have ASCUS result is because of HPV. She then set me up for a Colp. Went in a and after the doc told me she took three biopsies and that she would be 'shocked' if anything came back abnormal because it looked clear and normal through the colposcopy. Fast forward to two weeks later and I get a call that 2 of my biopsies were normal, my ECC was benign but I had a high grade lesion (moderate at least) now at this point I am FREAKING out because I kept thinking about how she went in and said everything looked good so I was not expecting bad news. She then told me to go see a specialist. I used to work for an OBGYN so I went to go see her and showed her all my results, she then asked if they actually tested me for HPV and found out that they did not. She then did another pap and a thinprep in reflex to HPV. Got those results back and turns out I have no HPV (just like I had always thought) this made me extremely relieved but I was also livid that the former doc thought it was okay to just assume I have it due to my pap results of ASCUS.
On to the other pap results, it still shows up as ASCUS and then says:
Endocervcal and or Metaplastic Cells are evident/ Epithelial Cell Abnormality
Anyone have similar results or know what this could mean? It's been one hell of a past couple months going back and forth and having to keep waiting for more results. I am still waiting on my doc to talk to me because she went ahead and sent over my colp biopsy results from my last doctor to a specialist that she knows just to make sure they were correct. Until then its just sitting here and waiting.
Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated!
Looking forward to getting to know all of you. <3
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0 likes, 5 replies
sparkymcfly reemlage86
Posted
I actually did test positive for HPV this year along with ascus. I never in my life had an abnormal pap until this year. I had a biopsy done but apparently Im ok and everything is benign. My results said this: fragments of benign endocervical mucosa admixed with mucoid material. No evidence of dysplasia or malignancy.
From what I learned in nursing is that our cells there change constantly and they do change where they become different in size and shape, which is why we come out with "abnormalities". Those biopsies are so very helpful and since your doc said it looked clear, it's a good sign.
I'm not a doctor but try not to worry so much till you get the results from the specialist. I have to get a copolscopy every year now. 
reemlage86 sparkymcfly
Posted
So glad your results are benign! It always such a relief hearing that from anyone.
I really appreciate your kind words; and I too hope everything will be okay. Just got a call that the specialist just recieved my biopsy cells and will be looking at them in the next day or so. I'l let you guys know once i get an update.
eliz52 reemlage86
Posted
Well, you've been put through a lot of worry and unpleasantness for nothing and it was completely avoidable.
Countries that follow the evidence don't test before age 30, the smear/pap test is even more unreliable before that age and young women produce the most false positives that can lead to excess biopsies and over-treatment. No country in the world has shown a benefit doing pap testing on women under 30.
ASCUS is fairly common and nothing to worry about, usually women would just be re-tested a year or so later. It surprises me you had colposcopy and biopsies for ASCUS, it shouldn't even be done for CIN1.
Usually it's CIN2 or CIN 3 that are referred for colposcopy/biopsy.
Also, HPV testing before 30 is not recommended either as about 40% would test HPV+...transient and harmless infections that usually clear in a year or so. It's the roughly 5% of women aged 30 to 60 who test HPV+ with a small chance of benefiting from a smear/pap test. (the Dutch only offer a smear/pap test to this group of women, other women are offered 5 HPV tests or HPV self-testing at 30,35,40,50 and 60)
NOTE: HPV- women cannot benefit from smear/pap testing, that's MOST women.
So sorry you've been put through so much and it could so easily have been avoided.
It's shocking that so many women are put through testing, biopsies and "treatments" unnecessarily and when it could so easily be avoided.
reemlage86 eliz52
Posted
Your response was a breath of fresh air to me, Greatly appreciate your words!
Honestly my husband and I have been in such confusion over all of this the moment it started. I too thought I would just have to be re-tested a year later after my ASCUS diagnosis but with my doc telling me I have HPV even though she never tested for it, that's what apparently had me going through a colp and biopsy. I just wish they would have actually tested me to see if HPV was even detected before i went through all this hell and panic. Makes no sense that I would go from ASCUS HPV positive to my cervix shows no abnormalities in a colp do a biopsy being high grade to actually not having HPV. LOL what a whirlind. I agree with you its all unnecessary and I hope its the end of it soon
Thanks for your words of wisdom!
eliz52 reemlage86
Posted
My sister produced a CIN 2 pap test and ended up having a cone biopsy showing normal tissue, don't think she was ever tested for HPV (that test would have ruled her out for colpsocopy etc. HPV- women can't benefit from testing etc. or that SHOULD be the case)
Here in Austalia I've always suspected they don't test for HPV to protect the lucrative over-treatment/excess biopsy market.
My sister was told that a new brand of tampons probably caused inflammation and that led to the false positive.
It was a nightmare experience for her & left her cervix damaged, she was told she might have trouble if she wanted to have children.
ALL completely unnecessary...she was also TOLD by a GP that all women must have pap testing, so there was no informed consent for the test in the first place and arguably, no consent at all.
ASCUS is nothing to worry about at all, HPV-...forget about cc, you're not at risk and cannot benefit from pap/smear testing.
Hopefully, one day as more informed women demand better treatment, we'll see a move to evidence based testing and some respect for informed consent and even consent itself.
I'll send you the link to a great site full of informed women, lots of real information so you can read up and be ready when they next suggest a test, colposcopy etc.
Good luck...