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You have nothing to stress about at this point. Just relax. Plenty of women have shared your experience and have never advanced to higher grades of cervical dysplasia (the grade of squamous cells). The site below explains it all really well from a gynecology perspective. Bookmark the site, after your appointment it will help you figure out what exactly your doctor was talking about. The site covers various squamous cell grading systems so you can look up your grade with the terminology your doctor uses, since different doctor use different systems.
Many women at some point receive an abnormal pap smear. Sometimes the abnormal pap results is just the result of confusion on the test and sometimes it is the result of cell changes on the cervix that you will want to keep an eye on. There are various grades of cervical dysplasia (abnormal cells on the cervix) which may be numbered or go by different class systems. For example, grade one cervical dysplasia is very minor, known as low grade cervical dysplasia and most often returns to no dysplasia within a year. Then there are moderate levels of dysplasia, graded as 2 or 3 and high levels of dysplasia, graded as 3 or 4 which is unlikely to return to normal without treatment and could develop into cancer.
Anyone who has had a confirmed case of low grade cervical dysplasia just requires checkups and biopsies 1-2 times a year to keep track of any changes. More than 80% of women who receive abnormal pap test results never progress beyond low grade cervical dysplasia. When you have moderate dysplasia it's a good idea to consider treatment options to prevent the dysplasia from progressing. Ask your gynecologist to explain the statistics of progression, it will put everything into perspective. Also realize that it takes a very long time for cervical dysplasia to progress, particularly low-grade, so it's fine to have checkups only 1-2 times a year since you won't see many changed during that window.
I was one of the unfortunate few who had low grade cervical dysplasia actually progress into moderate dysplasia, then high grade dysplasia, then class 4, known as carcinoma-in-situ (cancer in waiting). Most people would opt for surgical intervention before this point, which I would recommend. I had avoided the surgery for various reasons involving a high level of optimism and a lack of understanding and knowledge, but in hindsight I would have taken care of the problem at a moderate stage.
Your gynecologist will most likely perform a cervical biopsy which will be used to examine the cells under a microscope. If there are significant changes you will be contacted. Otherwise, you will be given an update at your next appointment, probably in 6-12 months. A cervical biopsy involves a splash of vinegar on the cervix, which can sting a little, and a small section of the cervix will be scraped and examined. You will probably experience light bleeding for 1-3 days, and cervical tenderness. You're not advised to avoid sex, but I find it's a few days before I feel comfortable enough to. The key to making a cervical biopsy relatively pleasant is to relax. I'm incredibly uncomfortable in a doctor's chair and with my legs in stirrups and find afterwards I leave feeling somewhat violated and sore from all the stress I cause myself. Just relax, it's not that bad, and stressing only makes it worse.
Time isn't going to do you any harm, but it will give you time to do research. Research that will allow you to come into your appointment confident and knowledgeable, prepared with all the right questions.
Best of luck! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
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- Thank you so much!!