Recurrent dysplasia (cont'd)
Stopping smoking would help your body to heal this on its own. Smoking suppresses the local tissue immune system (IgA) in the genital tract.
Funny that you should say that, because I was thinking that too for just mild dysplasia. Just got back from the doctors and he wants to do another LEEP in two weeks. Not sure why though because biopsies are showing just mild. I would love to quit smoking, which he did tell me was important, but it is SO hard. The last LEEP I had done was a year ago. Does that make a difference? I am going in for LEEP, biopsies and ECC. What is ECC? And what is the recovery time?
If you keep having a LEEP procedure done to cervix, it eventually affects fertility because it destroys cervical glands. You've had quite a bit done to the cervix already so I guess another LEEP wouldn't add to that much, but I don't think it's needed for mild dysplasia.
The ECC is an endocervical curettage. A sharp, small rectangular-shaped instrument is used to scrape the inside of the cervix where the doctor cannot see with a colposcope. That is important to do as part of the biopsy to make sure there is not a more severe lesion in the cervix.
Both LEEP and ECC are office procedures, should take less than 30 minutes. Recovery time is mostly abstaining from sexual relations or any tampons in vagina, etc. for about 3 weeks.
Is HPV always sexually transmitted?
Is it possible to "get" HPV in any way other than sexually? I have been in what I thought was such a relationship for 30 years and found HPV on my last pap. My doctor just kind of alludes it had to be sexual and yet it wasn't me and its hard for me to believe my husband has been unfaithful. Am I just being naive?
If it was your Pap smear or a biopsy that was read as HPV changes, then it is only about 85% accurate. They look for what is called koilocytosis and if the cytologist or pathologist sees it, they call it HPV compatible. Viral cultures or smears for HPV fragments are the more certain way to diagnose HPV.
Secondly, HPV can exist forever. We've had 80 year old widows (for 30 years) come up with an "HPV" compatible Pap. Exposure can have been many, many years before.
Thirdly, there's no reason it can't be introduced into the GI tract and from there to the genital tract. We don't know much about how it's totally transmitted but I'm sure it's not all sexually.
Personally, I'd assume that you don't really have HPV ( I don't recommend you get the smears for it but you could ask your doctor to do that if you want) and on the remote chance you did have it, it's likely in your case to have been contracted nonsexually, or sometime before marriage (either you and husband. I wouldn't let that Pap cause problems in a 30-year marriage, it's not that certain!
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