I got an 'abnormal' pap smear. Does that mean I have HPV, HIV, or some other STD?

My gynecologist told me that I had an abnormal pap smear a few months ago. I had to go in today to get another pap smear done to see if I have anything wrong with me. Is it possible for the test to come back normal? Or is definite that I have an STD? I'm so scared...

Listen, these things come back "off" more times than not. The first rule of thumb..don't panic. Well, that is if you have protected yourself in the first place.

Pap smears come back abnormal for many reasons. Hormonal changes can even effect these things. In my lifetime (now 40) I think on an average I have had one come back abnormal at least once every 6 months. Guess, what I have never had any STD's(I always use protection and am very choosey about who I choose to mate with) nor have I ever had cervical cancer.

If you are given the option of having the pap redone or have a culpospey (sp) done...trust me take the pap. I panicked the first time I was told I had abnormal cells. I let them use me as a human guinnea pig, believing them telling me I maybe had HPV (pretty scary since I hadn't even had sex yet) and let them go up and snip pieces of my cervic off. (to check for cell damage). OUCH!!! So unnecessary.

Please think positive. More than likely this is only the start of abnormal pap's for you. Isn't it fun being a woman???

Good luck

when mine came back abnormal it was because I had pre-cancer cells which I had frozen off

I HAD AN ABNORMAL PAP, MOST LIKELY IT MEANS SOMETHING IS WRONG. STD OR NOT. I HAD ONE ABNORMAL, TOOK THE PAP AGAIN AFTER 6 MONTHS, WAS TOLD I HAVE HIGH RISK HPVhttp://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/facts...
I WENT IN FOR ANOTHER PAP ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER THAT, TO ANOTHER GYNO, AND IT CAME BACK NORMAL. SO IDK. JUST HAVE TO WAIT IT OUT AND SEE

I had an abnormal pap smear and had to go in for a biopsy. The biopsy was a little painful. It came back that I had HPV. This was in 1998. HPV was still a really new STD, so there was not much info at that time. Like you, I was so scared. I didn't know what HPV was or what that meant. At the time they told me it was easily spread(just by touching) and that many people had it and didn't even know it. I never had genital warts or anything, but I know that some forms of HPV cause not only cervical cancer, but genital warts as well. I was told that it would never go away and that it will resurface later in my life.

More recently, after I had my son, I brought it up with my new gyno/ob that I was told I had it when I was 16 and he said it has NEVER come up on any of my pap smears with him and that I don't have it anymore. I told him I though it was incurable and he said sometimes it just goes away. So, I have no idea what to believe. I am asymptomatic(no symptoms). Never had any symptoms. Yes, it is possible for your pap smear to come back normal the second time around. Don't stress. Even if you have HPV, you can still live a completely normal life...children and all!

I had an abnormal pap when I was 18. It turned out to be HPV. I was pretty freaked out. The doctor told me there is no treatment, but it is possible for your body to just fight it off. And mine did. So eat healthy (ya know, alot of fruits and veggies) and don't smoke! If you have HPV hopefully your body can fight it off.

VERY very likely HPV.

I had the same problem a few years ago and the way that the Dr explained it to me really scared the **** out of me because I'm young and she was really insensitive. Here's what happened to me and there may be other explanations but here's what I know about my abnormal pap.
So first of all - read this whole thing before you freak out.

Abnormal pap smear means that your cervical cells are abnormal. The reason the gyno checks for this in your annual is to prevent cancer (catch abnormal cells early before they turn into cancer). The Dr. will probably tell you that you have dysplasia (there are different stages) and this just means the cells are abnormal. (It doesn't necessarily mean cancer but they want to catch ANY abnormality so that it doesn't lead to cancer) MOST dysplasia is caused from having one of several strands of the HPV virus which is an STD.

HPV is like the common cold of STDs and a ridiculous percentage of sexually active people have been exposed to it. Some strands cause genital warts, some do absolutely nothing, and some can lead to cervical cancer IF LEFT UNTREATED. These strands usually don't have symptoms in guys so a guy could easily pass this to you and have no idea. But if you've been getting pap smears regularly, you will be in the early stages - like me - and you can get treated before it turns into cervical cancer.

On me they did a "cryo" which is when they freeze the abnormal cells- it's really uncomfortable but it's an outpatient procedure that they can do at your gyno office - afterward you can't do anything that involves putting something in your vagina (fingering, tampons, sex, oral) for a while (I think it was 6 weeks) and then they'll want you to get more frequent pap smears to make sure it works. You can't get rid of HPV, and the dr. told me that once you've been exposed to a strand, getting the HPV vaccine no longer protects you from THAT strand, but it can still be useful in preventing you from contracting another type and having the same problem over again.

Hope this was helpful. I had this when I was 19 and I had only had 2 sexual partners but the Drs made me feel like a whore and you shouldn't feel this way. HPV is SOO common. Just be careful and communicate with your dr. Also, I would tell any guy/s you've had sex with and explain carefully that if you have HPV that they have it and that they won't display symptoms. They should tell any girls they've had sex with need to make sure they're getting screened annually!!!!! The guys themselves don't need to worry about having it, just passing it.