GYN Cancer Archive Questions

Below are Dr. Sarah Temkin’s answers to GYN Cancer questions
received through the Ask the Expert feature.

This content is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended
to be a substitute for individual medical advice in diagnosing or treating a
health problem. Please consult with your physician about your specific health
care concerns.



Now displaying records 1 to 3 of 3.

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Q : 1 06/06/2010	I just had a few questions regarding HPV. My first question is if I stay with the same partner who infected me with the virus, will I continuously get reinfected? My second question is, will HPV affect the possibility of having a baby? I had a biopsy done which confirmed cervical dysplasia and got a laser treatment but I'm finding it difficult to find answers to my questions. The HPV virus is carried by approximately 70% of the US population. We don't generally treat the virus unless there is a symptom (such as warts) or a precancerous finding on pap/colposcopy/biopsy (dysplasia). Over time you and your partner should clear the virus -- your immune systems will figure out how to destroy the virus, but removing the cells which have made the cervix abnormal is still necessary (eg. laser treatment). Outside of very specific circumstances the presence of HPV or even treatment for dysplasia should not affect your ability to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy.
Q : 2 04/19/2010	My cousin has just been diagnosed with cervical cancer and had part of her cervix removed. She was told that she would have to wait four to six weeks to heal before a hysterectomy could be performed. Why wait? The cone biopsy will often times cause some inflammation around the cervix and the surrounding areas that takes about four to six weeks to resolve. This is a very slow growing cancer that should not progress in this amount of time. Allowing the area to heal decreases the risk of complications at the time of hysterectomy.
Q : 3 03/23/2010	My pap test results came back AGUS. Since then, I had a endometrial biopsy with normal results and then a colposcopy. If the results come back normal, what is the protocol for Atypical glandular cells. Should this be followed up with, and how much or how long? Does this mean cancer? The pap smear is a screening test, not a diagnostic test. An abnormal pap can never tell you that you have cancer. The colposcopy and endometrial biopsy are the tests which do lead to a diagnosis. Depending on your age and other factors, your doctor may want you to do further tests to rule out cancer or pre-cancer. But if everything is negative, the AGUS pap may have been a false positive result.

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