irregular pap - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Message Board

kristin6291 · 02-26-2009, 04:45 PM

i had an irregular pap last year, a follow colposcopy that showed almost no irregularity in my cells and a followup 6 month pap after that that was clean. i just had my one year again and i have irregular cells again, slated for yet another colpo. is this normal? do i have to plan for this forever? is there a pay to irradicate hpv?

luvbug412 · 02-26-2009, 09:26 PM

No way to get rid of HPV. It can either be an active infection or lie dormant. Did the Dr test to see if the HPV infection was active at the time of the paps? Also when the colpo is done, were you told they are doing an ECC? It is the only method for which to get an idea what is going on in the cervical canal since there is no visual with the colpo and a pap doesn't check those cells.

kristin6291 · 02-27-2009, 06:48 AM

I don't remember to be honest. when i went in for the colpo the doctor was a little surprised that my ob/gyn had sent me as there was practically nothing to see. my results yielded nothing of concern so i was told to take vitamin c and folic acid tablets to increase my acidity. when i went back for my follow up pap everything was clean and i continued to take tablets as a preventative. i have a call into my ob/gyn because i've forgotten which strain i tested for, but i'm almost certain that the doctor that did the colpo didn't do an ECC last year, doesn't sound familiar. so i guess what is my checklist of questions going into this next colpo?

luvbug412 · 02-27-2009, 09:07 PM

Definitely ask about the ECC. Testing for a specific strain isn't to main stream yet, so they may have tested if it was low risk or high risk. That at least will get you into the ballpark of knowing where you personally stand.

If you have any others questions, make a list to take to your Dr. Being a patient, you have the right to get all your questions answered.

Drafly · 02-28-2009, 11:07 AM

ISH or in situ hybridization for HPV DNA has been around for decades. Only problem is, you need a doc who is up on their knowledge base to request it. Many docs are very naive when it comes to HPV. The liquid PAP which is used by 80% of the gyns allows for the PAP to be done while retaining cells to do the current HPV test (Digene) with remaining cells if the PAP is positive. Some docs request the HPV with all their PAPs, others only request the HPV test if the PAP is positive. While the Digene test can only detect about a dozen or so types of HPV, the ISH can detect any type of HPV DNA. Digene HPV test has only been FDA approved for a few years however it can detect the specific type you have and not just high or low risk unless of course you have one of the types not included in that test. The ISH can determine whatever type you may have and is not limited like the Digene test.