Hi hope someone can put my mind at ease,
i had my first smear in 2020 and results come back high risk hpv with low grade squamous dyskaryosis which I was booked for a colposcopy a few weeks later - had that procedure and got told by the doctor it should clear up in year so to book in for a follow up with my GP nearer the time, NFA needed.
I left booking the follow up smear longer than I should have due to work, life etc and had it in September just gone (works out I was 10months over due) and had a result back saying squamous cells have borderline changes, I looked on my online medical records and says grade 8 and before was a grade 3. im booked for a colposcopy again for 2nd Nov.
just feel quite silly I didn’t make it my priority and questioning whether I should have checked sooner or how long it can progress…
im 27 years old and have a 9year old son who needs me so guess all I want is honest advice from people who have had this experience
Hi Littlelady95 and welcome to the community.
Borderline changes are the very smallest changes to cervical cells, but the colposcopy will confirm this. It would be unlikely to have any treatment, as the cells can regress naturally at this stage so only monitoring would be required.
High risk hpv causes these changes, but I’ve not ever heard of the grading you mentioned in your post of grade 8 and grade 3, and borderline changes are less than low grade changes. These cell changes are not cancer and do not mean cancer would ever develop-the point of the screening programme is to identify abnormal cells and treat them if required. Often, especially in someone young like yourself, treatment is not required as the hope is that your immune system can get on top of the hpv and suppress it so that it becomes dormant and doesn’t cause any damage.
Your result is an extremely common one, and there is absolutely no need to worry about the level of cell changes which have so far been identified. Even more serious cell changes can be easily treated and removed and this is usually a very successful procedure. My honest advice would be not to spend your life worrying about this, and just attend your colposcopy as scheduled so there can be a more detailed examination of your cervix. I hope it goes well for you and puts your mind at rest.
Sarah xx
Hi again Littlelady95
I would ask for an explanation of these gradings on the letter to help you understand more. Abnormal cells are graded levels1-3 so I cannot understand grade 8 for anything. If your cells are borderline, they are not even in the 1-3 grading because the changes are so minor.
I appreciate it makes women anxious to get an abnormal smear result-I went straight to a cancer diagnosis, so didn't go through treatment for abnormal cells first, so I was in a different situation.
It is a possibility that the result from the colposcopy might differ from the smear result, as it’s a much more detailed examination of the cervix than a smear, which is just a sweep of the cervix firstly to identify the presence of hpv. But this is just a possibility not a certainty. Or it may be that no changes are identified at the colposcopy because the changes have regressed back to normal.
You don’t have long to wait for your appointment now, and I hope it gives you reassurance. It’s absolutely not a certainty that things would ever get worse, so if you can, try not to focus on thoughts like that. Good luck!
Sarah xx
