I have low grade cervical dysplasia. I had a colposcopy and biopsy. My doc recommended a leep. Does that mean I have genital warts? I dont quite understand....... are there cells on the cervix that are genital warts which cause cervical dysplasia?

Sorry that you are going through this. No you most likely don't have genital warts. HPV has many different strains, some cause warts, and some cause changes in the healthy cells that make up the walls of the cervix. You have the latter, cervical dysplasia. The good news is that the changes are low grade, meaning they haven't progressed deeply into the cell walls yet. The leep is a small proceedure that takes 10 minutes tops in which they cut the bad cells off the surface to encourage the good cells to continure growing in their place.

Hope this is helpful, if you have more questions, please post them and we'll be able to help you understand all this.

No, you don't have genital warts. Genital warts are caused by HPV, but not by the same strains that cause dysplasia.

Dysplasia is the term for abnormal (pre-cancerous) changes in the cells of your cervix. I do have to say, though, that LEEP is usually not recommended for low-grade dysplasia. Low grade often goes away by its own, so many doctors don't treat it unless it gets worse or persists for a year. Any reason your doc is recommending a LEEP so soon?

During my colposcopy he showed me the white area of abnomal cells, he took a biopsy and gave me a packet on the LEEP. He did mention though that it would go away on its own. I dont know if I should just go for the LEEP or wait 18 -24 months?

I have posted about this before......but the family doc is saying I have genital warts around my rectum and the gyno checked at my colposcopy appointment and said I had just one skin tag. I told the family doc I wasnt paying for the first bill where she said I had genital warts. She is now saying that I misunderstood the gyno doc. Its all confusing to me whether I have genital warts or not. My pap came back with the low grade cervical dysplasia. I didnt know if that ment genital warts or what. The pap also came back negative for any stds.

I get the results of my colposcopy tommorrow. Fingers crossed!

I think I would trust the gyn over the family doc on this matter. Cervical Dysplasia is caused by a different strain of HPV that causes warts. Maybe you have both types? I'm not sure if HPV a std that they usually test for? Ask specifically to your gyn if you were tested for HPV. LEEP is usually treatment for moderate to severe dysplasia, not mild.
Good luck.

I got the results today. What was first thought as mild dysplasia showed up to actually be moderate. I will have a LEEP done in a month. As far as the genital warts thing my gyno was right. I just have the dysplasia. THANK GOD! :D

I too am sorry that you have to go through this--its stressful, but it does get better. Interestingly enough, I found that the hpv strains that cause the warts cause MACROscopic cellular changes, i.e. warts one can see. The high risk kinds, which bring us to this board, cause MICROscopic cellular changes. Cancer is simply cellular changes that become uncontrolled. It actually gets way more complicated with I think an enzyme being killed that suppress replication and all that good cytochemistry crap. I just found the macro/micro change relationship interesting.

Good luck with the leep. Take care of yourself, and ask your doc about folic acid.