Questions about Cervical Cancer/ HPV/ Women on the Org

How many women on the org have experienced or know of someone who has experienced Cervical Cancer? Orgnote me, maybe you can help me and my friend answer some important questions. I have had a couple of friends over the years that at one time in their life were diagnosed with having precancerous cells on their cervix. I hope moderators don't move this topic to another forum where nobody will see this. This is an important issue!

I often wondered whether this diagnosis is often mistakenly identified? I have a friend that she had precancerous cells on her cervix almost 15 years ago. She went and had cells frozen and burned off. She was also given Chemotherapy drugs. She had various surgeries over a three years period of her original diagnosis.

Either way she was never officially diagnosed with having cervical cancer. She was told she had pre-cancerous cells. 3 months ago, she got a positive pap smear after having the last 10 years of negative results. She went to a specialist and he said she may have been misdiagnosed 15 years ago and on her resent paps mear. She is going to have further testing done.

This is an important issue with all the controversy over the HPV vaccine. According to an artical I read today on CNN, They said that there are over 100 different strains of HPV. There have been studies that show it may be possible for HPV to pass through condoms because the small size of the virus. Also the virus is so common that a high percentage of people in the general public carry the virus with no symptoms. It was said that men are the greatest transmitters of the virus. What I was told from my friend that is there is no test for men, only woman can be tested.

I was also told that there are only a few strains of HPV that actually cause Cancer. There are also only a couple of strains that cause Genital warts.

On the news they said that the vaccine won't protect girls from all strains of the virus. On the today show they said that the vaccine was only tested on 1200 girls over a 5 year span. This is a hot topic, since a lot of school districts are requiring young girls to get the vaccine. Nobody wants their daughter, wife, mother, etc to get cervical cancer. I just hope this vaccine is safe. I would hate to see people getting scared to get the vaccine if it wasn't safe or effective. I'm like everybody else, I don't know if it will work or not.

It's possible they made a wrong diagnosis years ago but it's more likely that it's a new outbreak of cells. Once you have the precancerous cells, you always have to be watched for it. Also, since it's spread by a virus, you could pick up from any partner over the years.
I don't like the vaccine but it's probably a good idea for people who are having multiple partners or have a partner who has had multiple partners.

I know someone with HPV so I've done a bit of research on the subject. The most frustrating part is that simply not enough is known about it. Not enough studies have been done to get conclusive evidence for really anything. I've seen just about everything you've mentioned above, that only a few strains cause cancer and only a few cause warts. As for passing it along, I've not heard that it can pass through condoms, but that since it is passed from skin to skin contact, condoms may not cover all affected areas, so while condoms help prevent the spread, they may not be 100% effective. I've seen reports say you carry it for life, and other studies that suggest if there are no symptoms (for the strains that cause genital warts) after a year or so it goes "dormant" and you're no longer considered contagious. I've seen studies that suggest that up to 80% of sexually active adults have it, though most estimates I've seen range about 40-60%. Which, when you think about it, is an alarmingly high number. To think that way, half of your past sexual partners have had it, whether they show symptoms or not.
Again, the most frustrating is it's hard to know what info is correct.
And once you have any kid of precancerous cells, yes, you should be checked for them regularly and they can come back.

Sticky time

Edmonton, AB - - If you're happy and you know it your hands, if you're happy and you know it do a

luv4u said:

Sticky time

It really bothers me how they make women who have HPV feel "Dirty" in the media. It sounds like HPV is really common. It sounds as though it is easily spread through skin to skin contact. So when you think about it that way, then you wouldn't necessarily need to have sexual penetration to spread the virus. Just think how many people use the rest room and never wash their hands?

Like I said before, it is a good thing that only a couple of strains cause Warts and Cervical cancer.

I wish the media would be more responsible and know the facts before spreading fear tactics and making women who have HPV feel dirty!

I think there is no need for everbody to be in a panic. People need to be using condoms anyway. You also can't expect people to just quit having sex. It ain't going to happen.

My friend Jody had cervical cancer.

It was a very long battle, she finally died of the disease.

sag10 said:

Measure in Love
Now the Lord is sayin' to me, "Whitey, Please..."

CarrieMpls said:

Measure in Love
Now the Lord is sayin' to me, "Whitey, Please..."

Here's a informative page from the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/std/HP...ct-HPV.htm

About men and HPV http://www.cdc.gov/std/HP...nd-men.htm
[Edited 3/16/07 10:22am]

God bless everyone. NO exceptions.

I would like to know if there is a 100% direct correlation with HPV and Cervical Cancer.

In other words does everyone who has cervical cancer test positive for HPV 100% of the time?

Do any women know of anybody who has had a False Positive Pap smear? In otherwords you may test positive, and the next time you tested negative on the next exam?

I don't want this vaccine to be like the next Vioxx, where it will be pulled off the market in a year or so because it is found to be unsafe.
[Edited 3/16/07 10:30am]

jaimestarr79 said:

Measure in Love
Now the Lord is sayin' to me, "Whitey, Please..."

jaimestarr79 said:

God bless everyone. NO exceptions.

If you're a sexually active woman you are bound to have HPV whether it shows up or not. In most women it stays dormant and you'll never know, in others it'll show in a pap smear and you either have the cells frozen or burned off. There are no tests for men, it simply does not show up in them and causes no harm...other than spreading it to women

I had displaysia and when the results from my pap came back as abnormal the doctor first thought it was HPV. I freaked out and felt dirty and gross, I cried for days. I did a bunch of research on it and felt better because I read almost every woman has it if they are sexually active. Although I must say when the HPV test came back negative I felt a sigh of relief! I had always protected myself and had my boyfriends tested...so when I thought i had it I felt betrayed and just awful.

It's nothing to be ashamed about if you do have it. You just have to keep up in your pap smears and go more frequently. They can do so much for you now if you get regular checkups.

applekisses said:

i really appreciate all the info all of you have contributed to the subject. I think it is an imporant issue.

when will i learn to save to clipboard before i hit post response??

~anyway~ i don't think gardasil will erradicate hpv anytime soon but it has to be viewed as a huge step forward. i just wish it was more affordable. the provincial government here has said it will not be paying for it. so that means only those who have an extra $400 kicking around and actually know that the vaccine exists will be getting it. "About 15,000 Gardasil prescriptions were sold by retail pharmacies in the first seven months it was available in Canada" not exactly a large number

the bottom line is we have to be our own best defense by getting regular pap tests! i have been guilty of telling myself that i wasn't sexually active at the moment so i didn't need testing... ummm hello?! cancer doesn't sit idly by and neither should we. knowledge is power. and we certainly could be better informed when it comes to hpv. even the person i know who had developed genital warts did not know that there were different strains of the virus that caused cancer. oh and it can cause anal cancer too. bet those numbers start to increase.

hpv can also play a role in causing infertility so it is in everyone's interest to be well informed. there is a great ad campaign on here right now. i know it is probably funded by the makers of gardasil but it is effective at raising the profile of the disease. women say "why didn't i know about this?" and go on to list some fast facts and finish with the tagline "tell someone"

be a blood donor... the most wonderful gift


I was hoping to dress something like Prince. toned down a bit like Prince if he was just going to the zoo or the supermarket... casual Prince!

applekisses said:

sag10 said:

My friend Jody had cervical cancer.

It was a very long battle, she finally died of the disease.

I'm sorry, Sag.

By the way this is a great thread!

emm said:

:

Mach said:

emm said:

:

I think it's just as important to educate men as well

they too can carry and spred it if I am not mistaken

USE CONDOMS always

jaimestarr79 said:

"Always blessings, never losses......"

Ya te dije....no manches guey!!!!!

I'm a guy!!!!

perhaps it's just me but i don't have any fears about this vaccine being unsafe

75% of the population will have contact with hpv in their lifetime. by vaccinating girls before sexual activity they will develop antibodies to the virus just like the small pox, measles, and polio vaccines do. that way when they do encounter the virus hopefully their body will be able to fight off that particular strain and the second leading cancer among young women can be reduced.

the trials were so successful that they recommended the participants who got the placebo to be vaccinated before the trials end. and vioxx was an anti-inflamatory drug. i don't think you can compare the two.

be a blood donor... the most wonderful gift


I was hoping to dress something like Prince. toned down a bit like Prince if he was just going to the zoo or the supermarket... casual Prince!

Was diagnosed w/ mild cervical dysplasia back in '92. They didn't know as much about it then and they treated it far more aggressively back then, too (could be why your friend went through all of that). I had a colposcopy & biopsy, which determined that my HPV strain was the cancerous type. Then I had laser surgery. Since then, all of my paps have been fine, but my cervix is more sensitive than normal and I experience more cramping than normal during my paps

Everybody's been right on with their answers. One thing I want to add is that when I used to teach sex ed for Planned Parenthood, I spoke to the Centers for Disease Control in Washington D.C. directly about the whole "pores in the condoms are big enough to let HIV/HPV, etc. through" rumor, and this is completely FALSE--unless you're using a lambskin or other animal skin condom. It's the skin on skin contact, as CarrieMpls said, that can still spread HPV from an uncovered spot.
[Edited 3/16/07 17:23pm]

I had two friends in college who had HPV. One had to start freezing her eggs immediately, because in 5 years she wouldn't be able to have kids. Mind you, this was all about 4 years ago, when nobody knew much about it.

My health insurance covers Gardasil 100%, thank god - but only for women 9 - 25. I'm getting the shot at the end of the month. Otherwise it's incredibly expensive. My doctor also told me that it's most effective before you ever become sexually active, but later is better than never. I've had a pap come back with abnormal cells, but it was fine after they tested it again.

I don't see any stigma attached to HPV... but maybe it's because I kind of grew up with the knowledge of it.

I had early stage cervical cancer, "carcinoma-in-situ" (my Dr. compared it to skin cancer) about 13 years ago (94-95). After the results of a colposcopy, I had what's called a cone biopsy- which in a nutshell means they took out a chunk of my cervix, it was expensive (I had no insurance), and very painful- at least week on painkillers afterwards. Yes, I was HPV positive, but I didn't find that out till later, no one talked or knew about it then. Most cervical cancer patients are. (Also, I was having regular Paps- once a year, since I was 16. Since they had always been normal, I was told by the Dr. that did my cone biopsy that the lab Planned Parenthood was using was probably overworked and may have missed earlier indictations. This issue- of overworked lab techs- was discussed in the press quite a bit also a few years back).
Had normal paps for a few years after, then had a few abnormals in 2002 where I was then told by a cancer specialist- "if you want to have kids, you might want to start thinking about that now", another cone would have made carrying a pregnancy difficult. (I was 34 at the time). So, I did. Got pregnant with my son shortly thereafter, had a normal pregnancy-and have had normal Paps since, thank God.

I think everyone who is able, should influence any parent who has daughters to get them this vaccine. I know it's expensive, but believe me- the procedures to remove it are more so. And that's if it's caught early enough. If I wasn't the type who was smart enough to be on birth control, and therefore going for annual Paps- on my own, since I was a teenager- I'd be dead right now. What worries me the most is that many of the parents who don't want their daughters to have this vaccine are the same parents who will be hesitant to discuss birth control and the use of condoms with them. Abstinence is a great idea, but doesn't always stick, and we are talking about saving young girls from infertility and cancer here. There is no reason to tell a 9 year old why they are having the vaccine, just make them have it.

TELL SOMEONE. Let them be one less.
[Edited 3/17/07 12:41pm]

Ask where they're going, they'll tell U – "Nowhere"
They've taken a lifetime lease on Paisley Park ...

Natsume said:

paisley16 said:

We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.
Maya Angelou

http://www.myspace.com/butterfli25

butterfli25 said:

paisley16 said:

I had early stage cervical cancer, "carcinoma-in-situ" (my Dr. compared it to skin cancer) about 13 years ago (94-95). After the results of a colposcopy, I had what's called a cone biopsy- which in a nutshell means they took out a chunk of my cervix,
I think everyone who is able, should influence any parent who has daughters to get them this vaccine. Abstinence is a great idea, but doesn't always stick, and we are talking about saving young girls from infertility and cancer here. There is no reason to tell a 9 year old why they are having the vaccine, just make them have it.

TELL SOMEONE. Let them be one less.
[Edited 3/17/07 12:41pm]

I had pretty much the identical experience except they never said cancer they said severe dysplasia caused by HPV, have had normal paps since 94, still going good and am going to see when my 11 year old can have the shot, my 19 who is active can decide on her own.

great thread

Ask where they're going, they'll tell U – "Nowhere"
They've taken a lifetime lease on Paisley Park ...

pharmaceutical companies only want to make money off the vaccine which does more harm that good