I'm 20 weeks pregnant and my doctor said that I have cervical dysplsia. So he did a coploscopy. I haven't got the results back yet. I'm feeling a little confused because everything I have read (which is just about every thing I can find to read) has said eventually if left untreated that the dysplasia will become cancer. Which to me is a bit concerning since I,m pregnant and my doctor said little can be done until after I deliver. I can't even have a biopsy because of the risk of bleeding so he used a brush to scrape it, I guess. So first off is this going to be a good enough sample to even determine anything? And am I necessarily going to get cancer because I have to wait until delivery? How fast does dysplasia progress? Please help me....scared and pregnant....Susan :confused:

Susan ((hugs)), you must be so worried and frightened, especially at such an emotional time for you (being pregnant...). It is very unlikely that the dysplasia would progress to cancer in the remaining weeks of your pregnancy, estimates are anywhere from 2 - 10 years. The colpo should give a pretty good indication of what level of dysplasia you are dealing with, and I think most information I have read about dysplasia and pregnancy says to wait until after the baby is born, but FIRST do the colpo to rule out possible invasion. So likely you are fine. if you are in the beginning stages of dysplasia, sometimes pregnancy, and the cervix expansion will actually cause the dysplasia to regress, so you might find after the baby is born that it isn't there anymore. I know of one lady who had severe dysplasia throughout her pregnancy, and was treated a couple of months after birth. I hope this eases your mind a bit. keep looking at the info - try to stick with .org and .edu sites, as these are generally more accurate. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, and be sure to post if you have any more questions!

Karen

Thank you. It was reassuring, Susan

In 1984 I was told I had dysplasia and a hysterectomy was advised. A year later I was fine with no treatment and I'm still ok!
I wonder what all the fuss was about?

Just wanted to add this to my original reply... I read some statistics the other day that said there are 600,000 cases of diagnosed dysplasia, and out of these, only 14,000 will become invasive cancer. I, unfortunately, drew the cancer card, but lucky for me it was caught very early and i can be carefully monitored for the next several years to prevent recurrence.

I read all the time it is 100% cureable IF monitered closely - meaning 1 or 2 paps a year and quick treatment when necessary. I keep seeing the number 100% so I really think its dependent on how good we are w/ going for paps and taking the treatment rather than letting it go. Some people leave it a year or more just thinking it will go away, when if they had even a minor treatment beforehand it would be gone , rather than progressed.

I appreciate those statistics. I wonder how many of the diagnosed cases are given treatment? If they aren't treated they'd most likely be fine, then. Sheesh; I'm glad I didn't bother. I would have had a nervous breakdown just thinking about it. :yawn: She had no interest in a LEEP; she wanted to refer me for major surgery!!
So it boils down to this: whatever your treatment will be depends on who the doctor is?? OMG :confused: Scary. This calls for 2nd and 3rd opinions!!

Believe that - I had a doctor who in 3 seconds, without even DISCUSSING ANYTHING With me, told me ' go get a cold knife cone with GENERAL anesth. " meanwhile I have CIN1-2 and my new dr says they NEVER do a cold knife cone for anything under a CIN3 as it is cutting a large part out and is associated w/ bleeding and a risk of issues w/ pregnancy 3x more than the leep etc. I RAN out of that first dr's office, i just knew it wasnt right, plus she was RUDE

The new dr explained ALL procedures, explained which was for which, why each would be good or bad for me, and completely took into consideration that im young and want kids soon - she was totally informative and cared - and it just was LUCK i got her and goet that horrible earlier dr.

I feel horribly for the women who get un necessary procedures, its so sad!

She, she she. I'd like to know how many others have had bad luck with female doctors.
We had another lady who left town to "go back to school" and I just dropped another woman doctor. The one who wanted the hysterectomy was female.
On the other hand, I had an elderly woman doctor as a GP ; she is much-loved and respected and in her early 80's is still practicing!! After my husband broke his neck she said "the spine will heal itself; it's Natures Way; you didn't need a halo brace." He never got one and he's fine. That was in 1990.
The doctor who recommended a hysterectomy did Another number on me: I had a bladder infection and Bactrim had always done the job. But she had a new drug she got from a drug rep. After a week on it I got a fever and went back. I now had kidny involvement. She looked embarrassed and quickly put me on Bactrim. I wondered why her office was in an old frame house with badly peeling paint. :confused:

I think we can SENSE things.....the first feeling of weirdness - RUN - i did and i thank god every day I did that!

It doesn't mean that cancer is inevitable, only that it's always going to be a threat (until there's a cure). It's constantly in the back of my mind - EVERY DAY!

Susan,
I hope you get to read this..I am 39 weeks preg. I found out when i was 3 month preg. that i had cin 3...I was scared to death..but they did a colpo to make sure and thats what it was...they said me to a ongolgist which said he was pretty sure i could get threw the pregnancy without it getting worse...they did another colop when i was 28 weeks preg. and it didnt change..but they cant see it anymore because the baby is to big..They will check me again 6 weeks after she is born to see what to do next..I know it is very stressfull..I think i cried for 2 month straight but then i decided that I wasnt going to let this bring me down...The doc were keeping a good eye on it and they wouldnt let me get this far if it got worse..Eat right and take good care of yourself and you should be fine...I took extra vit. to..If you ever need to talk please let me know...
Steph

bump for redstarr....

My daughter discovered she had mild displasia at 17 and they did the colposcopy. Then they discoverd more cells and they were moderate so a LEEP was done. She is 18 now and we've had 3 biopsies. 2 copolscopies, the LEEP, a laser ablation and now he discovered the cells returned after the ablation and wants to freeze her cervix. At 18 we are terrified for her fertility but she has been adament since she was a young teen that she NEVER wanted kids but who knows if she will meet Mr wonderful and change her mind because I fear with all they have done,she may not be able to carry or concieve. Of course,right now,my biggest fear is keeping the cells from becoming cancerous. I'm waiting and praying for the day when she goes 6 months with no return in cells. So far for 2 years this has not happened. We will have the freezing done in January or Feb and they hope this will solve the issue. the Dr is becoming frustrated. He delivered her into this world 18 yrs ago and this is become an obsession with him to cure of of this. I feel safe with him. He doesn't want to continue biopsying her anymore and is very upset at her pain when he has too. He prescribes her pain relief and even wrote notes when her graduation was in danger because of missed days from school. He has been wonderful and with us all the way.

callie, I believe the freezing is the least agressive treatment, so im not sure why they would do this? unless the recurrance is mild...

are all her margins clear after the leep etc - are they sure they are getting everything when they do the procedures? Ablation is not good b/c you cant take the cells and look at it in the lab. but laser cone can do this, so maybe consider this. the cone is usually more precise, especially the cold knife.

I was just diagnosed with dysplasia and decided to look online to see what it really is. I keep seeing information about how it relates to HPV and genital warts, etc. Does this mean that I proabably have genital warts or HPV or some other sexually transmitted disease? Is there a test the doctor performs to see if I have it in a pap? I'm just so confused because I feel as if I've been careful enough to not end up with something like this, but if I do, is there something additional I should be doing for myself and my boyfriend so I don't pass it further? My doctor did mention that genital warts and dysplasia have been linked, but she went no further and never mentioned anything about the possibility of me having warts myself. *sigh*

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and my doctor said that I have cervical dysplsia. So he did a coploscopy. I haven't got the results back yet. I'm feeling a little confused because everything I have read (which is just about every thing I can find to read) has said eventually if left untreated that the dysplasia will become cancer. Which to me is a bit concerning since I,m pregnant and my doctor said little can be done until after I deliver. I can't even have a biopsy because of the risk of bleeding so he used a brush to scrape it, I guess. So first off is this going to be a good enough sample to even determine anything? And am I necessarily going to get cancer because I have to wait until delivery? How fast does dysplasia progress? Please help me....scared and pregnant....Susan :confused:

Hi Susan,

First of all, please relax and take a deep breath... This is not a cancer diagnosis! Dysplasia is very slow turning into cancer, IF EVER. Chances are you will be fine after delivery. I read somewhere that during delivery dysplastic cells get sloughed off and your Paps return to normal. Your doctor used a brush because he does not want to take chances in your condition. They are not supposed to use a forceps or a curette during pregnancy.

All you need to do is take good care of yourself and your baby and enjoy this special time in your life. By all means, inform yourself about your colpo results and degree of dysplasia, but do not fret over these very early changes that pose no immediate threat to you. For all you know, it could be a very mild form of dysplasia that most of the time regresses on its own.

Take care! :angel:

supermandy - you don't have to have genital warts to have dysplasia - there are so many different strains of HPV, a few of which cause warts, many that do not. It is amazing how we have to search out this information for ourselves about this and how doctors only give us "hints" about what is going on. When I asked mine he said "you get it from having sex with men". No further explanation. Nice.

Condoms do not prevent transmission of this virus. Chances are if you have it, so does your boyfriend. Try not to get into the who gave it to whom game, it really doesn't matter at this point because it's there. You have to do something about it, no point in adding blame into all the other emotions you're feeling right now. They can "type" your HPV when you have a pap (I believe only if cell abnormalities show up, though), for high risk or low risk strains. I have heard of women knowing the exact strain of virus they have, but from what I understand most tests are non-specific except for the high/low risk.

I can still remember the day I started learning about all this stuff. It's scary, it makes you feel like you have a big rock in the bottom of your stomach and your heart in your throat. But once you keep reading, you will discover that it is not an uncommon virus at all. Many people carry it without experiencing any symptoms OR cell changes. It's a fickle one. Even if you have dysplasia, it doesn't necessarily mean you will have cell changes progressing to cancer.

What is your doctors plan of action regarding your dx? Let us know. We're a really supportive bunch here, with all kinds of experiences. Make sure you use our shoulders and knowledge when you need to.

Hugs,

Karen