Over the years, this growth becomes precancerous. If it goes untreated, it gradually turns into cervical cancer. The cells observed in your Pap smear are graded based on the type and severity of cellular changes.
A negative Pap smear means all your cells were normal. An abnormal Pap test reports the extent of the changes, separating the results according to the type of cervical cancer. Your abnormal Pap results are reported as one of the following:. This type of cervical cancer begins in glandular cells in the cervical canal. There are three levels of changes reported on an abnormal Pap smear:.
Of the more than types of HPV, about 40 types are spread through direct sexual contact with someone who has the virus. Most cases of HPV disappear on their own. An HPV infection can change cells. But the slow progress of HPV-related cancers allows us time to identify cell abnormalities and treat them before they become cancerous. Other causes of abnormal Pap smear results include inflammation, infection, trichomoniasis, or herpes. We may recommend one or more of the following next steps:.
During a colposcopy , we use a special lighted magnifying tool to examine your vulva, cervix, and vagina. We can perform an HPV test on the same cells used for the Pap smear or new cells that we collect from your cervix in a procedure similar to a Pap smear.
We may advise you to have another Pap smear within six months to a year to examine the progress of any changes in the abnormal cells. Low-grade cervical changes are unlikely to become cervical cancer.
If the changes are moderate- to high-grade, your doctor will evaluate more options. These changes create a higher risk of cervical cancer. If there are moderate to severe changes in your cervix, your doctor may want to remove the cervical tissue. Be sure to always bring up any questions you may about you Pap test with your gynecologist. So if you smell like a pickle, that's because they're using just ordinary vinegar to clean off your cervix. And vinegar makes the areas that might be abnormal turn white.
So then they can look at the cervix, paint it with a little vinegar, look for areas that might be a little bit abnormal, and then they will take a tiny bit of tissue.
Now, you think, "Oh, my god. They're going to operate on my cervix. So they take a tiny little biopsy, and they send that to pathology. And they say, "Is this something to worry about or not? Maybe they're going to have a few extra in the next couple of years.
If it is dysplasia that is moderate or severe, that isn't cancer yet, but then we can actually treat the cervix. Usually, we use freezing or sometimes we use a little laser, but freezing is very cheap and very common. And we make a little cold blister. So we make a little blister, and the abnormal cells just come off.
And then new, healthy cells grow in. Well, the treatment can get rid of abnormal cells about 98 percent of the time so that's really good news.
Now, we know that new, healthy cells can get infected by the virus. So it turns out that almost all cervical dysplasias and cancers are caused by the HPV virus. So now you have all these pretty new cells covering your cervix.
Well, they can get infected, too.
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