I recently had a Colposcopy following a smear test where abnormal cells were discovered. I also have HPV which I have had for about 5 years. During the Colposcopy I had Lletz treatment to remove the cells and was told I would probably need another treatment under general anaesthetic due to the abnormal cells being quite high up and not reachable. I have just received the results and it says CIN3 and I need a follow up test of cure in 6 months time where they will test again for HPV.
Why do I need to wait for 6 months to test again for HPV when the results of the Colposcopy are CIN3?
If HPV is still present in 6 months surely I will just have another Colposcopy to check for CIN3 so why can't I just have it now rather than wait. The Lletz treatment I have just had won't get rid of the HPV will it?
I am just a bit confused and don't like the idea of waiting for that long only to go through the same again.
Hopefully you can put my mind at rest and clear things up a little bit for me.
Thank you for reading.
Hi IOS and welcome to our group.
The situation you are describing is the normal process when CIN3 has been found and you have a LLETZ treatment to remove the abnormal cells. It is usual 6 months later to have a “test of cure”. It is hoped that all of the abnormal cells have been successfully removed, but no treatment removes the hpv virus.
So you are checked in 6 months, and although the hpv is not removed, it is still possible to get a negative result from an hpv test at that time as it can come and go, depending on how good your immune system is in suppressing it where it goes dormant and is not causing any cell damage.
In 6 months time, you might get an hpv negative result, and the hope is that there will be no more abnormal cells found. Just having hpv does not mean you would ever have abnormal cells again but it’s good that you are monitored on a regular basis.
Sarah xx
It does seem that it can be harder for us as we get older. It can happen that the abnormal cells can grow high up in the cervix and don’t get detected on a smear, though it seems your doctor is aware that another treatment could be needed under general anaesthetic, as it wasn’t possible to reach them in your last treatment.
Your cervix needs to heal when you have had a LLETZ, so there needs to be some time for this to happen before getting treatment again. But CIN3 really should be treated, as it is the most severe level of abnormal cells and less likely to regress naturally. Hopefully you’ll be told what is needed when you go for your test of cure.
Sarah xx
