I just found out yesterday that I have High Risk HPV. What exactly does this mean and will it go away on its own? I know there is no cure for it, but my doc said that sometimes it just goes away on its own. Please help, I am going crazy.
2006-09-21 05:43:36 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Women's Health
Here you go: http://www.healthandhpv.com/
2006-09-21 05:47:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to www.google.com and type the name in you might get something thereWhat is the HPV virus?
The human papilloma viruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 70 different types of virus. They are given numbers to distinguish them. HPV's can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Some of the HPV viruses can cause genital warts - those numbered HPV 6 and HPV 11. These two are sometimes called low risk because they are not associated with cervical cancer.
Some types of HPV are linked to cervical cancer particularly numbers 16, 18, 30 and 33. They are called high risk because just about all cervical cancers are positive for high risk HPV. This association is so strong that scientists in this area think that the very small number of cervical cancers that test negatively for HPV have come about because there was a problem with the HPV testing, rather than because the infection wasn't there in the first place.
On the other hand, many women who are infected with high risk HPVs do not go on to develop cervical cancer. So there are other factors at work too, such as smoking. Women who smoke and have a high risk HPV infection are more likely to go on to get cervical cancer. It is important to remember that regular cervical screening will pick up abnormal cervical cells before they become cervical cancers. So even if you have HPV and smoke, you can prevent cervical cancer. You could also stop smoking, of course!
The HPV virus can be latent. That means that it can be present but not active. It is possible for someone to have been infected at some point in the past and for the virus to be asleep or dormant. HPV can lie dormant and be undetected for many years before it becomes active. It may not cause any symptoms and you might not even know that you have it. Only certain strains cause genital warts and the other strains can be present but go completely unnoticed. Most HPV infections disappear without treatment, as the body's immune system fights the infection.
The NHS is undertaking a pilot study at the moment to try to find out whether HPV testing on a wide scale will help with the cervical cancer screening programme. Women who test positive for a high risk strain of HPV may be more likely to need treatment for borderline or mildly abnormal cervical smears than women who are not. At the moment, if you have a mildly abnormal cervical smear, you may have a colposcopy straight away. Or your doctor may ask you to come back for another smear in 6 months time. If the abnormality does not go away by itself (and it sometimes does), you would then need a colposcopy. Women who are not high risk HPV positive and have an abnormal smear are very unlikely to develop cervical cancer so they may be having further smear tests and a colposcopy that they do not need. Outside this pilot study, HPV testing is not routinely available in the NHS.
2006-09-21 05:47:42 · answer #2 · answered by sharon b 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had this too. They found it during my annual pap smear.
First they did a colposcopy (took a tiny sample of my cervix to test and find out what type of HPV it is). Then I had a LEEP conization done. A full conization is when they remove a large (the majority, actually) section of your cervix to get rid of the cells once and for all. I LEEP is different in that they take this instrument with a loop on the end of it. They electrify it, and basically scrape/burn the outer layer of the cervix off. How much they have to remove depends on how deeply the abnormal cells go. They normally do this LEEP procedure for younger women who haven't had kids yet. It's not as effective (the abnormal cells could return, or they could miss some of them causing them to multiply) as a full conization, but after a full one, the cervix is too weak to withstand the weight of a baby. Once the woman reaches about 20 weeks, the cervix won't stay closed and hold the baby in, so women miscarry.
It's been years and years now (had this done back in '98) and so far, so good.
2006-09-21 06:18:44 · answer #3 · answered by brevejunkie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really should be asking these questions of the doctor that diagnosed you. Do your own research on the internet. There are some very reliable medical sources. Yahoo answers is not the place for serious medical advice.
2006-09-21 05:55:26 · answer #4 · answered by eehco 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have the same thing I had to have cryosurgry on my cervix if left untreated it can cause cervical cancer. You really should find a new Dr. because my 1st Dr. said the same thing as yours. New Dr. did the cryosurgery.
2006-09-21 05:47:45 · answer #5 · answered by butterflyaht1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ask for the hpv vaccine
2006-09-21 05:47:57 · answer #6 · answered by momoftwo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you trust your health to any of us? Go back to your doctor and speak with him or her.
2006-09-21 05:47:58 · answer #7 · answered by Sam 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋