How to prevent or cure mild dysplasia

Hey K.,

When I first was diagnosed with mild dysplasia, all I heard was "pre-cancerous". I quit listening after that. I went back a few minutes later and discussed my options with my dr. She had me come in every 6 months for a year for a pap smear. She told me the mild kind usually disappears on its own. If after a year, it did not go away on its own, we would have to "freeze my cervix" to get rid of all the bad cells. I ended up having to do the cyro treatment. That was not as bad as I thought. Certainly better than the initial biopsy they did to diagnose me!!!

From what my dr told me the dysplasia is caused from an STD known as the HPV virus. That is the virus that has been in the news lately due to the vaccine that they have developed. Apparently, it is the most common STD. That is what I was told at least from my dr.

Luckily, after I received the cryo treatment I have not had it since and that was 5 years and 2 babies ago.

If you want to know more about what I went through, I would be happy to talk to you. You can contact me through my personal email (____@____.com) and we can exchange numbers there.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!! Hopefully, it will go away on its own.

H.

Hi K.,

Dysplasia means that the cells that make up your cervix are slightly abnormal. It's not a virus itself, but the cellular changes could have been caused by a sexually transmitted infection. They like to do more frequent pap smears on women with cervical dysplasia, because it can sometimes mean that cervical cancer may develop down the road. If the dsyplasia worsens then sometimes they will do cryotherapy or such treatments to try to prevent it turning into cancer.

I know it sounds a bit scary but keep in mind that it's not always as bad as it sounds. Sometimes women can have a pap smear 6 months later and everything will look normal again!

C.
Certified Professional Midwife and Registered Nurse

I was diagnosed with this when I was in the Navy and they froze my cervex to combat the problem. Which in my opinion is ridiculous! Then after a year or so, they then wanted to do a LEEP procedure which is like scooping out the pre-cancerous portions like ice-cream that is in a bucket. I went to specialist to discuss these procedures that the Navy had performed and wanted to performed, and after paying him $1000 for a visit, he told me the same thing. He said that if I worked out, took my vitamins and ate right, the dysplasia would go away. And by the Grace of God, it has gone away and has been gone for 10 years now. Oh and by the way, I did not go through with the LEEP Procedure and later found out that they dr. that wanted to the procedure was later fired for have a lot of young women going through this procedure for him to write an article for a medical journal. In other words, he was just using young women that dont know how to ask question as his guinea pigs. Which is the reason he got so angry with me when I asked for a secound opinion. It cost a lot for a younger me that didnt make much to begin with but it was the beginning of asking questions and enlightening myself on what is going on with my body. My advice is to keep asking questions...The internet has a lot to offer as far as research is concerned.

Have an amazing day and believe me, you will be fine.
J.

I was diagnosed with dysplasia before I concieved my first child. It was reccommended that I have a LEEP procedure which is in the office and they basically scrape the abnormal cells off the walls of the cervix. It is a 6 week to 3 month recovery (no sex, no tampons) a check up and paps every 6 months. I was just told that it is an abnormal growth of cells, not really sure why it happens. I was of course freaked out when I found out, but as I started talking to the people I worked with about 1 in 5 of them knew from person experience what I was going through. I have had to problems since and that was over 5 years ago and 2 children later.

Has your doctor talked to you about the LEEP procedure, because it was my understanding that if you do nothing then it will become cancer. I also had the great fortune of being in Maryland at the time and was sent to one of head reasearch places in the country for Dysplasia.

Let us know.

Yep, about 19 years ago. I had cryo-surgery (sp) and it never came back. The doc said it probably wouldn't come back and it didn't. He was an amzing doc. He retired a LONG time ago sadly. My sister had it too about 20 years ago. Never came back.
Hang in there!

I just wanted to add -- not all dysplasisa turns into cancer. Yes, it is considered "pre-cancerous" -- but that does not mean you definately will get cancer.

Mild dysplasia can usually be taken care of, and if you continue to see your ob every 6 months, it can be treated (or heal on it's own). If it progresses to moderate/severe dysplasia then your doctor will seek more agressive treatments.

When I had my 1st pap at 16 I had dysplasia -- over the course of the next 10 years or so I had 2 coloscopy's (I think that's the word) and a LEEP procedure (like someone explained below). I had abnormal paps every 4-6 months for about 10 years, in the end I had moderate to severe dysplasia. I had a LEEP and after I recovered I "downgraded" to mild dysplasia. After about 2 years, I had my first normal pap ever and every consecutive one has also been normal! I had a hysterectomy this year (unrelated to the dysplasia) and had my cervix removed, but I do still have to have annuals.

It can be very scary any time you hear the term "pre-cancerous" in relationship to your body - but sadly it is just one of those "wait and see" kind of things. There does not seem to be a difinitive - "who" will progress into cancer and who won't. Just make sure you go every 6 months and trust that if it becomes more agressive your doctor will seek the right treatment.

I am sorry that your doctor wasn't more thorough with you and didn't explain what exactly all that means and do more to reassure you.

It really depends on the level of dysplasia to see if you need to have a procedure done.

I had the LEEP procedure done when I was diagnosed with mild to severe dysplasia. When my doctor's office called to tell me that they detected pre-cancerous cells, I freaked and cried the rest of the day. But after reading a lot about it and talking to some women who have had it, it eased my nerves a bit. The biopsy and LEEP procedures sound scary, but recovery time was minimal. My mistake was that I didn't have yearly paps for a long time, with the change of jobs, health insurance, moving, etc. I have since had a beautiful baby boy.

I had the same diagnosis a few years ago and was so confused because I had only been with my husband and he with me. My doctor responded by saying medical stuff is so vast and there is always the possibility it was not caused by one of us having sex with an infected person. She did some procedure to remove it and I have had normal pap smears ever since. I'm interested in all these responses, though. I didn't realize how common this was!

Hi K.. Well first of all I would like to say that cancer is an overgrowth of abnormal cells. So when the doctor tells you the cells can be pre-cancerous it just means that when they took the cells from your cervix they found some abnormal cells. The virus that the doctor is referring to is the HPV virus which I,m sure you've heard of recently. This virus is the main cause of cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer. The majority of women have it. It can be caused sexually, but this doesn't mean that your husband or partner has been unfaithful. This is something that you can carry for years and never know it until you have an abnormal pap smear. Many men carry the virus and never have any symptoms either. Luckily your Dr. is right you will have to get re-checked in six months. Most likely the problem will clear up on it's own. If it doesn't the doctor can usually remove the problem with an in office procedure called cryo-therapy which freezes off the abnormal cells. If you continue to get routine check ups then your chances of your dysplasia becoming cancer are extremely slim. The problem will most likely clear up on it's own. I am a womens health care nurse and have seen this very often, unfortunatley many Dr's don't explain this well enough to their patients and freighten them. Also cervical cancer is very slow growing and can take years to actually become cancer.

About 8 years ago when I was 15 I was diagnosed with HPV before I ever had sex. I was at level three and it needed surgeory. Laser or cryo but I opted for the cryo and since then It has never come back. It really depends how far the stage is because if its early stages it has a good chance it will go away and they want to monitor it for that reason because if it doesnt then they will explore other options.

If you've got mild dysplasia then you have precancerous cells on your cervix which need to be removed. I had this about 10 years ago. If I remember correctly I had a biopsy (in my Gyn's office, really quick and slightly painful) and then went on to have the LEEP procedure (not as quick, not as painful). I then had to have paps every three months twice, then every six months for a year. It's not come back since.

But you DEFINITELY need to speak to your doctor about having them removed. I might even consider switching doctors, as this one seems a little too cavalier with your health. Just eat right and have some more paps?? Not cool, IMO.

Hi, K.. I know exactly how you are feeling right now. I, too, was diagnosed with this virus, HPV. My doctor actually goes around the world speaking to other doctors about this virus, as well as the effects- the dysplasia/precancerous cells it can create, so he was able to explain every aspect of it to me in great detail. In a nutshell, the way he described this is that all dysplasia is precancerous, it's just a matter of time before it eventually turns cancerous, if left alone and given the time. I know that sounds scary, but usually, it takes years and a lot of missed annual doctor's visits to progress to this point. However, my doctor immediately scheduled me for a coloscopy, which is an in-office procedure during which your doctor takes a closer look into your cervix, while a normal pap smear takes tissue from the area outside of your cervix. Upon having this procedure myself, my doctor was able to see the areas of dysplasia or precancerous tissue. I was then scheduled for a procedure called cervical coning, which is an out-patient procedure during which those areas of dysplasia are removed. It's called coning, because the tissue is removed in the shape of a cone. Anyway, doctors have not really been able to explain yet why, but following this procedure, the great majority of women are actually cured from the HPV virus all together...amazing! Now, my doctor did give me the "if you chose to wait, you can come back every 6 months to monitor your dysplasia" option; however he didn't recommend it. Personally, I agreed with his why wait to see if it progresses to cancer? opinion. I just didn't want to take any chances, and I'm very pleased with my choice. I know I don't have to worry, and that gives me a lot of peace. Anyway, feel free to email me if you have any questions or just need the support of someone who has been there. Take care!

Do whatever they say. My doctor was a woman. She insisted on condoms. My husband refused to. He was tested but nothing and the deal is men carry it give it to women and they never get it and the tests will not show on them. It can lead to cancer. I had first a freezing then surgery. I thought it was me since for years I was active sexually with others as relationships came and went but my doctor said she suspected it came from my husband. What I know now is he was unfaithful so he must have been with lots of women. The surgery worked and it is gone. What it is are cells that start to change and if not taken care of can go into cancer. Mine was caught early and yours must be too. I had two neighbors one had it and her mom had it and neither were with anyone one one man their whole lives. So I am not sure why my woman doctor who also had a different opinion from her colleage in her office. He disagreed it came from the husband and did not think condoms where important. Just follow what they say. I just had a friend die from cervical cancer. She caught it too late. I have not had any problems since the surgery. I pray you are lucky too and since they are catching it early it even may just go back or get healthy. Take care and God Bless G. W

I have Dysplasia as well and I am a little confused cause I have never heard of it being called a virus.
Yes it is precancerous and if it goes untreated it can turn into cancer.
Untreated by not taking a hormone pill, birth control pills.
This is why my Dr told me on this.

I hope this helps.
M.

Hi K.. The virus that causes cervical cancer is HPV - human papilloma virus. It can cause anything from minor changes like your mild dysplasia up to more severe dysplasia which is one of the steps before it becomes actual cancer. It is sexually transmitted from what I understand. Your doc wants more frequent PAP's to make sure it's not changing from mild to severe, etc. Hang in there, and good luck!

Everyone has described it perfectly, just wanted to add a side note. I am a nursing student that had dysplasia. When covering the topic, they noted that statistically, most woman that have had it have been with a partner that is not circumcised.