Intercourse after dysplasia/possibly cin 2 or cin3

Hi Sunshine1982 and welcome to our group.

I don’t think any question is a crazy question if you’re looking for an answer! I’ve been around cancer and dysplasia discussions for about 7 years now, and never seen anyone advised to abstain from sex because of dysplasia. If you think about it, no-one who’s been diagnosed with any form of dysplasia would ever be having sex again, and clearly they will be! 

The damage caused by the hpv virus is what causes dysplasia, and how much damage it has done will determine the level of dysplasia-some will require treatment and some won’t. If you have mild dysplasia, that’s at a low level so you may just be monitored with check ups. It may regress and disappear, it may need treatment, especially if it does progress.

But low level dysplasia is a long way from being cancer, and even people with cervical cancer can still have sex! 

Sarah xx

wow thank you so much for this answer! Really helps and it makes me feel less alone.

I am very upset and scared because the chance of getting HPV was a bit "logical" because my partner has had lots of bed partners before me. That really isn't a problem because almost everybody has HPV, but I am such a stressed person all the time, if i would contract HPV maybe i wouldn't clear it due to stress and because of that a worse immunesystem. And now here I am, after some issues with spotting etc, LISL, mild dysplasia. Worst fear came true. I have read some stories of women who have had LISL and still had fullblown cancer after 6 months checkup. I have a daughter, she is 12 and I am so scared to leave her behind. I know it's way too early to think this, but this was my risk in sleeping with someone. Never tought I would't clear it and have dysplasia.

I am working hard to clean up my diet, practice stress reduction and make sure in a few months maybe it will be gone. 

I also need to listen to the medicals and not make my own ideas. For example; i should not have intercourse because it makes the dysplasia worse. If this is not the case then I am just making stuff up and that's not good for me, my mental health and my relationship....

Trying to reduce your stress, especially worrying about things which might never happen, is always a positive thing to do. It’s especially unhelpful to be reading stories of women who have gone on to develop cancer if you’re an anxious person generally. These kinds of stories would be the exception and not the norm, especially when the hpv virus is so common and your dysplasia result, which is not cancer, is also common. 

You mentioned “mild dysplasia” but you have also questioned this being CIN2 or 3. So I’m not sure exactly what level of CIN you have? I would have expected CIN1 based on the word “mild”. Any potential treatment would be determined by the actual level of CIN you have been diagnosed with. 

You should get a reply from the nurses shortly-I see you have asked them the same question. I base everything on my own experiences and being in contact over the years with many, many women with worries about CIN and cancer, but I am not a medical professional. However, I have been through cervical cancer twice and refused to even think about leaving my children! I prefer to have a positive mindset overall, which I think can be much more helpful. 

Sarah xx

Thank you so very much, thid means a lot to me, so grateful for this forum and your reply. I didn't have a colposcopy yet, all depends on the exam in a few weeks and what that result is. 

My worry is that is might not be mild dysplasia but severe, but that's just in my mind. So that's why the cin 2 and 3 comes into play, sorry for the confusion. 

I guess my main job now is keep my head cool, practise a healty lifestyle and just see what the next results of my pap smear will be

Thank you so very much, I don't want to talk with my parents yet, they would be so stressed so really nice to have a place to express my feelings and meing noticed. Thank you again

You are very welcome to be with us in the group, and to post as much as you need to. Please let us know how things go when you have your colposcopy, and we are here for you if you need any help or support. I hope it goes well for you. 

Sarah xx

Hello there,

In the meanwhile i have heard my hpv type is 42. So a low risk. Is it possible the genotyping missed high risk hpv? The hpv42 does explain why the pap always said, no high risk hpv. And also why it says, LSIL. I have my next pap in May, so hopefully nothing bad will come out of it. My question is, is hpv42 a common form? I always hear about 6 and 11 but not 42..

Hi again Sunshine1982 

It’s nice to hear from you again. The most common types of high risk hpv strains which can cause cervical cancer to develop are strain numbers 16 and 18. 

I’m not sure where you are based, but in the UK cervical screening is focused on identifying high risk strains of hpv, of which 16 and 18 tend to be the ones we hear about. In fact, typically all we are told is that high risk hpv has been identified, but in my own experience I wasn’t told a specific strain number-I still don’t know it and it isn’t actually important for me to know because I’ve already been through cervical cancer twice. The strain which caused it is irrelevant to me, even now. 

Hpv strains 6 and 11 are associated with genital warts, which is maybe why you have heard about them more often, as genital warts are common, but these strains are considered low risk and not linked to dysplasia or cervical cancer. Hpv 42 is considered low risk, but can be associated with dysplasia. I can’t say if hpv 42 is a common form of hpv as in the UK screening is looking for high risk strains. 

LSIL describes a mild abnormality of cells, so not cancer, but a mild form of dysplasia. 

I hope your next screening goes well, and would recommend not focusing on strain numbers, especially low risk ones.

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah

Thank you do much for the reply. I'm in the Netherlands and as I de UK we only test for high risk hpv.

But in my case I asked for a swab hpv test, so I would know if there was hpv in the first place. This was done together with pap smear, because then we assumed the pap would be ok, because in september 2024 it was. And my idea was just test for hpv so we know for sure.

I didn't expect they would check the type. In the end it's a good thing because the LSIL did not correlate because high risk hpv was never positive. But now I know it's low risk, which can cause mild dysplasia. I think this test was quite accurate because the low risk hpv explains a lot.

Now I just have to wait a few more weeks and then I will know if the pap isbecoming worse or if my body resolved it. It's been 2 years after the first sexual contact with my partner so I hoped that if I would have contracted hpv it would have been cleared and not becoming LSIL after 2 years... but we will see and have hope :)

Another question. I have to have a hysteroscopy due to a small polyp in my uterus. But is it ok to do this when having dysplasia? In my mind the camera from the hysteroscope pushes the bad cells farther up the cervix and maybe these cells can infect the cervix higher up. Or the hpv virus gets pushed in higher. Any idea on this?

Hi Sunshine1982 

Always keep hoping for the best is a good way to think! Hpv can come and go, and sometimes it takes longer for us to clear it, but low risk should be less of a concern for you. 

Many women have a hysteroscopy as part of routine testing but if you have concerns about this, please ask your doctor for more information and try not to imagine scenarios in your mind which may not be correct.

I know you had some ideas about sex and dysplasia where you had made your own assumptions, so maybe the doctor will be able to reassure you about the hysteroscopy. I had one myself while  I was undergoing investigations.

Sarah xx