False Alarm

DISCLAIMER: Men - this is a pretty graphic post regarding the going-ons of a gynocological visit. If you don't want the details then know that everything is fine and stop reading here.

For those of you less faint at heart...I went to the gyn's office today for my test, and everything is fine. She talked to me more about the virus and said that the pap smear had shown that I had some abnormal cells (meaning the nuclear DNA was different than normal cells), and when the DNA was tested it showed that I had one of the strains of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer. The colposcopy today involved sticking a microscope up there to take a look at my cervix to determine if I had areas with clusters of pre-cancerous cells (they pour in an acidic solution like vinegar that turns all of the abnormal cells blue so that they are visible). Well, after poking around with the microscope for a good five minutes the gyn found nothing. Zip. Nada. So while I have some cells with abnormal nuclear DNA, they have not turned into pre-cancerous cells in my cervix. I have to go back in for another pap smear in six months to make sure that nothing has changed and monitor this for the next couple years.

So while I definitely have HPV, as of now it is a strain that has not caused any cells to become pre-cancerous, and chances are that my body will rid itself of the strain in a year or so, and I will be disease-free.

I will definately be getting the vaccine against HPV when I get back from my trip. It is called Gardasil and involves three shots over 6 months. It actually only protects you against 4 strains of HPV (there are close to 70 strains in all) BUT these four cause 70% of cervical cancer cases and 90% of genital warts. The vaccine is not yet available for men...it is currently undergoing tests and should be out in about a year.

For those of you who are sexually active (and for those of you with sexually active daughters), I would urge you to look into the vaccine...and make sure to keep up with your annual gyn visits!!!