coacheswife
06-10-2003, 10:00 AM
Hi anybody ever have a leep procedure for abnormal pap?
Can you get pregnant and carry a child after a leep?
Can you get pregnant and carry a child after a leep?
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siobhan
06-10-2003, 11:38 AM
I had a LEEP procedure. It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it really was not the worst thing in the world. If you search this catagory, you'll find lots of women who have been through it.
And yes, you can carry a child, and deliver normally. I specifically asked my doctor about it, and he assured me.
And yes, you can carry a child, and deliver normally. I specifically asked my doctor about it, and he assured me.
anothersadgirl
07-31-2003, 02:21 AM
Are you completely under for the LEEP procedure or are you aware of what's going on?
PaNik5717
07-31-2003, 11:45 AM
There are a couple of really long threads about LEEPs in the Cancer: Ovarian, Cervical, and Breast section of this site. If you go there, you will see the variety of experiences women have. I had mine very suddenly two and a half months ago. I had no pain pills ahead of time and no anxiety meds. Others have both of these. I was alert during the outpatient procedure in my doc's office - some people do it in the hospital and get put under. I had no IV. They used the same vinegar solution that they used for the colpo. There was one shot to my cervix that didn't hurt - the nurse was totally amazed at my pain threshold. The shot made me very jittery and then there was this warm feeling as they burned out the bad tissue - it cuts and cauterizes simultaneously. Oh, and I am pretty small and the speculum that he had to use for this was larger and very uncomfortable. The smell of your burning flesh can be alarming if you are alert and the size of the cervical tissue is alarming, too. The disharge in the weeks after really varies, but it seems like most of it is normal unless it is very foul smelling.
Ask your doc what kind of procedure he performs. Share any fears or anxieties and you can hopefully come up with the best situation for you. The hardest part for me is accepting that the cervix is not healed even when it there isn't much pain or bleeding or discharge. Overdoing it in the weeks after can really limit your chances of becoming pregnant. Otherwise, you shouldn't have any trouble carrying a baby, but your doc will probably tell you to wait awhile for the cervix to heal. I need a couple of surgeries and my doc won't perform them because he wants me to be able to have kids even though I don't think I want them.
Good luck with the LEEP and starting your family.
Ask your doc what kind of procedure he performs. Share any fears or anxieties and you can hopefully come up with the best situation for you. The hardest part for me is accepting that the cervix is not healed even when it there isn't much pain or bleeding or discharge. Overdoing it in the weeks after can really limit your chances of becoming pregnant. Otherwise, you shouldn't have any trouble carrying a baby, but your doc will probably tell you to wait awhile for the cervix to heal. I need a couple of surgeries and my doc won't perform them because he wants me to be able to have kids even though I don't think I want them.
Good luck with the LEEP and starting your family.
fachina1
07-31-2003, 04:33 PM
If you are considering burning, freezing, lasering, or cutting out part of your cervix for an abnormal pap or cervical dysplasia, consider trying the natural route first. Most MD's don't know a thing about nutrition so they have no way of instructing you how to nourish your cervix. For low grade to moderate dysplasia 60% of the cases resolve on their own because our immune systems go into high gear to fight off the virus. The humanpapilloma virus is thought to cause 90% of the cases of an abnormal pap. The HPV virus also causes genital warts and is a std. At some point in our lives 70% of the population is thought to carry HPV. the most important things you can do is boost your immune system with herbs like echinachea and goldenseal, take extra vitamin a and vitamin c and take extra folic acid 1-5 mg/day. Stopping smoking and having portected sex are also key. For more severe cases of dysplasia the risk is that if left untreated it will progress to cervical cancer. I suggest seeking out a licensed naturopathic doctor who can treat these more progressed cases. search for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians on the web. There is also a risk of not being able to carry a pregnancy to term if there is too much trauma to the cervix during ablative procedures. hope this helps.
Lithiate
07-31-2003, 05:33 PM
You know, normally I'd say "The natural route is better" but not with this. If the doctor is suggesting a LEEP, there's probably a good reason behind this and that's either HGSIL or something a lot more severe. For my own peace of mind, I'd definitely do the LEEP... Self-preservation is pretty high up on my list of priorities and if I were told that I had a CIN II or III, you bet I'd be in the stirrups in no time at all. HGSIL/CIN II and III are all pretty serious abnormalities that have a good chance of turning to cervical cancer if not treated quickly.
Now, in my personal case, I was recently diagnosed with LGSIL, also sometimes called CIN I, which is a low-grade abnormal cell development on the surface of the cervix. My gyno discovered this after a routine pap and called me up to suggest I come in for a colposcopy as soon as possible. It wasn't because he was concerned that I was in danger of developing cervical cancer... Actually, he wasn't concerned much at all. His rationale, and one that I happen to agree with, is that he wanted to A) confirm the LGSIL reading to make sure it was only low-grade and not concealing something worse beneath the surface of the cervix, and B) to put my mind at ease by getting the biopsy done sooner rather than later. Some gynos prefer not to do colposcopies on women with LGSIL since it's got such a high rate of reverting back to normal, but others, like my doc, think that precaution is better than just assuming that everything will turn out peachy in 6 months to a year. So, I had the colpo done and I don't regret it. It confirmed the LGSIL and nothing else, and my doc said that since I'm so reliable, I can wait a year to come back in for a follow-up pap if I'm so inclined. I doubt I can wait an entire year, though. I'll probably go back in at the 6 month mark for a follow up just for my own peace of mind.
Now, in my personal case, I was recently diagnosed with LGSIL, also sometimes called CIN I, which is a low-grade abnormal cell development on the surface of the cervix. My gyno discovered this after a routine pap and called me up to suggest I come in for a colposcopy as soon as possible. It wasn't because he was concerned that I was in danger of developing cervical cancer... Actually, he wasn't concerned much at all. His rationale, and one that I happen to agree with, is that he wanted to A) confirm the LGSIL reading to make sure it was only low-grade and not concealing something worse beneath the surface of the cervix, and B) to put my mind at ease by getting the biopsy done sooner rather than later. Some gynos prefer not to do colposcopies on women with LGSIL since it's got such a high rate of reverting back to normal, but others, like my doc, think that precaution is better than just assuming that everything will turn out peachy in 6 months to a year. So, I had the colpo done and I don't regret it. It confirmed the LGSIL and nothing else, and my doc said that since I'm so reliable, I can wait a year to come back in for a follow-up pap if I'm so inclined. I doubt I can wait an entire year, though. I'll probably go back in at the 6 month mark for a follow up just for my own peace of mind.
PaNik5717
07-31-2003, 07:06 PM
I agree with Lithiate. My doc always tells me the percentages of dysplaysias that resolve on their own and how many progress to cancer. With that in mind, he did a colpo and a digene on me and advised the LEEP after that.
After the first abnormal pap, maybe it is a good idea to try to boost your immune system via the natural route. Really, in moderation, this stuff never hurts to prevent and help a lot of illnesses.
If you don't know if you have HPV, boosting your immune system to fight it may not help, though. A colpo is a really good second step after a few abnormal paps. It gives really good lab samples and it can even remove all of the abnormal cells. It can give you peace of mind or give you a logical course of action to become healthy.
If you have been through this and still have serious abnormailites, yours may not be the kind that will resolve itself on it's own and it's not a good idea to wait to see how fast yours is going to progress, especially if you are planning on using your cervix to carry a baby.
I chose the LEEP over Cryo because I wanted to have lab tests of the cells to know what I had and if the margins were clear. If you just freeze the bad cells, you won't know if the margins are clear.
And following doctors orders about activity and sex after will prevent serious scarring of the tissue when it grows back.
After the first abnormal pap, maybe it is a good idea to try to boost your immune system via the natural route. Really, in moderation, this stuff never hurts to prevent and help a lot of illnesses.
If you don't know if you have HPV, boosting your immune system to fight it may not help, though. A colpo is a really good second step after a few abnormal paps. It gives really good lab samples and it can even remove all of the abnormal cells. It can give you peace of mind or give you a logical course of action to become healthy.
If you have been through this and still have serious abnormailites, yours may not be the kind that will resolve itself on it's own and it's not a good idea to wait to see how fast yours is going to progress, especially if you are planning on using your cervix to carry a baby.
I chose the LEEP over Cryo because I wanted to have lab tests of the cells to know what I had and if the margins were clear. If you just freeze the bad cells, you won't know if the margins are clear.
And following doctors orders about activity and sex after will prevent serious scarring of the tissue when it grows back.