Scared after bad pap-will I ever have a second child?

[Anonymous]

After a bad oap which indicated pre-cancerous cells, I did LEEP. It showed that the cells were on the severe end so my doctor said we need to monitor this closely. She's advised us to stop trying to have another child (our second) until she can do another pap in the spring. She said if it has gotten worse or travelled farther (right now there's no indication it's going up canal but it's getting closer), she says she might recommend a hysterectomy to get rid of the chance of cancer altogether. Obviously this is upsetting because we would still like to have another child. Compounding everything is that my ovulation is not very strong so we will likely try clomid and IUI. (we conceived naturally the first time but it took us 9 months. Just for background, I'm 37 now) My doctor believes we still have a 90 percent chance of having another baby. She says she might recommend that we do the IUI in the spring, deliver the baby and then do a hysterectomy. I would be totally okay with that because we don't plan on having a third child. I'm remaining optimistic but with two problems at the same time (and my age) I'm obviously nervous. Has anyone else had a bad pap and fertility problems, only to deliver a healthy child later? Thanks for sharing!

[Anonymous]

Well...I would definitely get a second opinion before opting for a hysterectomy. That seems rather drastic for something other than 'cancer' (something that they have treated with LEEP). Also, how long had it been since your last pap smear? Seems like a pretty aggressive case if you have been getting yearly paps?

I would also suggest scheduling a consult with a fertility specialist...at 37 you would probably benefit from some more aggressive treatments.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My OBGYN did not say a hysterectomy was inevitable...she mentioned it would be the only course of action to take to completely get rid of any chance of cancer. I will definitely get a second opinion if she advises us to go this route after our next pap. (that will be very telling...if I have another bad pap, we'll have to look into our options) As far as the bad cells, they were discovered after I skipped my pap for one year. (I could kick myself for skipping my yearly last year but I had a baby and I didn't have my act together)

And we did consult with a fertility specialist. They said my eggs are still good, my tubes are clear and my uterus is sound. The only issue is my ovulation is not strong. Because of my age (37), I'm feeling anxious about having to deal with these two situations at the same time. Thanks so much for responding to my post!

[Anonymous]

Why do you need to stop trying until the next Pap? Is she concerned that you may need a hysterectomy even sooner? (i.e. before having second child)?
Also, can you ask her what happens to cervical cancer cells during pregnancy? i.e. if you were to conceive, is it likely that cancer would develop while pregnant?

[Anonymous]

I would definitely go to another OB/GYN to get another PAP smear for a second opinion. I learned that doctors vary greatly in their recommendations regarding abnormal pap results -- some are much more aggresive than others in even recommending LEEPs. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

FYI...to 9:41...yes, pregnancy induces a natural immunocompromised status, if you have an active HPV infection, and you have abnormal cells, pregnancy can make that situation worse. And if she became pg, she would be less likely to be aggressive in treating a lesion (one doesn't want to do anything with the cervix when you are pg, of course).

Agree 100% with poster 10:00...

Maybe your OB was being forceful with you (warning you about hysterectomy), so that she could be sure that you avoid getting pg at this point, and get all the follow-up that you need to make sure you have had all abnormal cells removed.

Hopefully the LEEP was the ticket for you...

[Anonymous]

I had a LEEP several years ago with same diagnosis - next few paps came back clear and I'm now pregnant with my second. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I would absolutely get a second opinion. I speak from experience. I had a bad pap, then a colposcopy and was then sent to Dr. Jeffrey Lin at Sibley Hospital. I did have early stages of cervical cancer, but he was able to do a surgery that removed most of my cervix while keeping my other lady parts in tact. That was 2 1/2 years ago and now we are working with a fertility specialist who has experience with women just like me. Women who, by the way, have had successful pregnancies after that surgery.

You definitely need to watch the cells, but look into Dr. Lin - he started out as a gyno, but he is now a gynecological oncologist and specializes in these situations. Look him up on the Sibley website - they have a great program there and he knows what he is doing. He's nationally known on cervical cancer treatments.

Take care of this, then focus on expanding your family. No sense in having babies you won't get to watch grow up, right?!

[Anonymous]

OP again...thanks ladies! Your encouragement means so much to me At the end of the day, I believe that I'll have the family I'm supposed to have but I'm going to do everything in my power to increase my chances of having a second baby, including getting a second opinion from another doctor. I will try to contact Dr. Jeffrey Lin at Sibley. Thanks again everyone...