HPV

I am now a statistic.

On my way to NG today I received a phone call from my gyn's office to schedule a 'colposcopy.' At first I thought the nurse said 'colonoscopy' and that she had telephoned the wrong person. But it turns out that my last pap smear (which was done in July) tested positive for HPV, or human papillomavirus. This is an STD.

I was stunned. I am always extremely careful to use protection and could not believe that I had contracted something. Additionally, not only do I have a STD, but I tested positive for the 'high-risk' strain of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer. The test on Monday is to take a biopsy of the infected cells in my cervix to see if they are pre-cancerous.

So not only am I dealing with a) the fact that I now have an STD and b) that it might be pre-cancerous, but on Tuesday I am leaving the country for three months. The nurse said that if the test comes back positive, the virus is very slow-progressing and that waiting a couple of months will not be a big deal (if the test comes back positive, I'll need to have a minor surgical procedure where they will take out the cancerous cells from my cervix/uterus/wherever they hide).

I'm not too worried about the possibility of cancer for some reason. I talked with a wonderful friend today who has been through this experience and am feeling ok, at least less upset than I was this afternoon. But I am still stunned that I have contracted an STD despite all of the precautions that I take. HPV can be spread simply by contact, so using a condom is ineffective. Additionally, men are 'carriers' and do not show symptoms of the disease, nor can they even be tested for it. So the only way for a guy to know if he has it is if his partner becomes infected. But what is upsetting for me is that short of not being intimate with anyone, there is no way to protect yourself.

I don't know a lot yet about HPV...but will be looking into it more tonight and sharing what I find.