Cervical cancer?!


Question: i'm 21 wks pregnant and my doctor told me at my last prenatal appnt that they found abnormal cells in the last papsmear they did earlier in the pregnancy. He said that the worst that they can be is the first signs of cervical cancer. How do you even gget cervical cancer? Is it deadly? I'm only 21 yrs old and this is my 2nd child. Anyone know anything about it?


Answers: i'm 21 wks pregnant and my doctor told me at my last prenatal appnt that they found abnormal cells in the last papsmear they did earlier in the pregnancy. He said that the worst that they can be is the first signs of cervical cancer. How do you even gget cervical cancer? Is it deadly? I'm only 21 yrs old and this is my 2nd child. Anyone know anything about it?

An abnormal Pap does not mean that you have cancer, it is just something that warrants further investigation. Basically, when you get a pap, they scrape some cells off your cervix and look at them to see if they are normal or not. Some infections, recent sexual activity, and yes, dysplastic cells that are indicative of cervical cancer are all causes of abnormal pap results.

Your doctor is likely not too alarmed if this is your first abnormal pap. He may or may not re-do the pap until after your pregnancy. The next test would likely be a colposcopy, where they basically punch a little hole in your cervix in order to get a tissue sample. This *can* be done during pregnancy, but your doctor will likely wait until after you deliver, as sometimes, delivery seems to elimate the abnormal cells on follow up.

Having abnormal pap results is not harmful to your baby, and at this junction, your doctor is using "watchful waiting". Many women have abnormal Pap results and not cancer, so don't be too alarmed at this junction - just enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and look forward to having your baby.

FWIW, cervical cancer is like any other cancer.. they don't know *all* the causes. HPV, the virus that causes genital warts is one of the potential causes, which is why there's been so much media attention about "Gardasil", which is the new vaccine for HPV. It is treatable when caught early, which is why Pap testing is so important.

Here's a few easily readable links on paps/ cervical cancer

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/womensh...

http://www.sjmercyhealth.org/18253.cfm

http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/faq/abnorma...

The most important thing right now is for you not to panic or assume the worst, but to educate yourself and get ready for your baby!!

Best of luck to you you!

Yah you can die from it. Hopefully they did find it early though. One cause of it is HPV, the virus that causes genital warts. You and/or your partner played the field a bit before getting married?

before asking the world about. this? go back to your doctor and get him to explain what is what, and the best treatment

all i know is be careful what u doin because u can lose the baby.

I've had 2 abnormal pap tests, the re-did both and both were normal. My girlfriend had an abnormal pap and it did end up being precancer/cancer, she has the leap procedure done and is fine now. I know when my girlfriend had it done we talked about her getting pregnant before she had the procedure and the ob didn't act like it was a big deal, she said ideally don't, but if you do it can wait. I wouldn't worry about it AT ALL until the redo the pap and give you the results from the second one... it's normal to have one abnormal and one not. Good luck!

My cousin after her first child was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She was told if she wanted more children to get pregnant asap. She did, had a second child and then was treated for the cancer. Both she and her child are fine and she is considered cancer free.
I believe there are different types of cervical cancer some being more aggressive than other. All the best to you.





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