Hi all,
I’m new here and not very clued up on medical terms. I’m 28 years old and have had 3 smears since I was 25, my first smear came back abnormal (HPV positive and nuclear changes to the cells) I had a colonoscopy after this and they found CIN1, I then had to go back a year later for another smear and this result was clear
In February just gone I had my 3rd smear, the results of which have came back today as positive again for HPV and this time stating “low-grade dyskaryosis” was also found and now I have to go and have another colposcopy. I’m not clued up on what the medical terms mean, I’ve ran it all through chatGPT and that’s telling me basically not to panic but I can’t help it, I have ADHD and with that comes a high anxiety for anything medical
Has anyone had this result from a smear before or had on and off dodgy smear results? Or will still having HPV with abnormal cells mean that my results from the colposcopy will be worse than before?
Hi Girlsworld and welcome to our group.
It’s always a worry having an abnormal result when you go for any kind of test, but I hope I can maybe put your mind at rest a little.
It can be confusing when we hear medical terms with no explanation, so let’s start with that.
You had some CIN1 discovered at your first colposcopy, and this means that there were some changes to your cervical cells when they were examined under the microscope. The hpv virus can cause cell changes in some ladies.
CIN1 is the lowest level of abnormal cells (they just look a bit different from normal cells) and this is not cancer. These cells can go away on their own, and so they usually wouldn’t need any treatment. When you went back for your smear a year later, there was no hpv detected and your cells were normal. The hpv virus can come and go, but at the time of this smear it wasn’t active and wasn’t causing you any issues.
When you had your latest smear, the virus was active again and so was detected in the test. Low grade dyskariosis is simply the same as CIN1-it’s just another name for it. CIN1 has the full name Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, and this just means changes to your cervical cells caused by the virus.
It's standard for the first part of the testing at a smear to look for hpv, and when this is present its normal for a colposcopy to be done to check on the cells for the level of abnormality. It could be CIN1, CIN2 or CIN3 depending on how abnormal the cells look.
Having the colposcopy done does not mean the cells have got worse-it might show they are still at a level of CIN1, but it needs to be checked out. These cells can regress (go away on their own as your immune system deals with the hpv), so I’d echo the advice not to panic. Your cells from the colposcopy will be tested again and then you’ll know what’s next. It might be that you just need to have another smear test some months down the line to check that all has gone back to normal.
I appreciate that you will be anxious and finding this difficult, but hopefully you’ll soon get another colposcopy and have your mind put at rest.
Let us know how you get on, and if you have any more questions you are very welcome to ask us here.
Sarah xx
I hope it’s helped at least a little as you wait for your next appointment. I can’t tell you not to worry at all, as it’s natural for us all to be concerned about something that’s unexpected for us, but try not to assume that things get worse.
It’s best to focus on what you know for now, and that’s just that you need another colposcopy. You have had screening and the colposcopy is just another bit of testing to go through. You’re being well looked after, and that’s the whole point of the screening programme.
Hope everything turns out well for you, but there is support here for you whenever you need it.
Sarah xx
Abnormal cells can return for some ladies, though not all. Unfortunately there is no cure for the hpv virus, so it can come and go (be active or dormant). When it’s active it can cause cell changes. The only thing we can do ourselves is try to make sure we have as strong an immune system as possible with a good diet, exercise, and no smoking. These are the main things which can help us.
Typically these are usually early cell changes, and you are being carefully monitored, so try not to worry too much.
Sarah xx
