First off, take a deep breath or two and try to relax. I've had a history of abnormal paps and I can relate to what you are going through now because I've been there. My first abnormal result came the year after I married and some of my GYN's office staff were implying that my husband did it to me. The truth is that you can have HPV and not have any symptoms at all - It can lay dormant in your system until something triggers it.

A colposcopy is a visual inspection of the surface of your cervix using magnification. If she sees any suspicious areas, she will do a biopsy. The area(s) in question will be numbed and a small piece of the tissue will be removed. I have had several colposcopies over the last 14 years with up to 4 biopsies done at one time. It is uncomfortable, yes and you will most likely be advised to abstain from sexual relations for a time to give the biopsy sites time to heal. When the doctor gets the pathology report back from the lab, you will be called to make an appointment to discuss the findings and you go on from there.

In my case, the report came back dysplasia (see info on link below) and I had to have pap smears every 6 months for a time so that she could monitor the rate of change. Fortunately, I had low grade dysplasia that resolved on its own.

Schedule the test and try not to worry in the meantime. You won't know for certain what is going on until you have the test results back.

HPV is very common. You could have acquired the virus from any past sex partner.

Did your doctor say the Pap findings were ASCUS. A colposcopy is often recommended here.

Did your doctor include the HPV test when your Pap found abnormal cell changes? Some doctors do not order the HPV test done in the woman under 30, some do. Ask your doctor if an HPV test was done. If an HPV test was done then you have one of the high risk HPV types. The HPV test does not screen for low risk HPV types.

I have had too many colposcope and biopsies in my day. Newer studies show that in most young women the virus will regress. The virus does re-occur sometimes. No one can assure us that the virus is gone forever or that we will never share our HPV type or types. Most sexually active men and women do acquire the virus at some time.

Learning more about the virus will show you that you have lots of control, learn from trusted sources. The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society are good first sources. Routine Pap testing allows your doctor to monitor cell changes and treat when needed preventing most cervical cancers. Condoms do help in the regression of the virus.

http://www.asccp.org/PracticeManagement/HPV/Natura...

You can ask your doctor for a copy of your pathology report. It will give you more information.

1. A doctor may simply describe Pap test results to a patient as “normal” or “abnormal.” It is important to remember that abnormal conditions rarely become cancerous. A woman may want to ask her doctor for specific information about her Pap test result and what the result means.

Most laboratories in the United States use a standard set of terms, called the Bethesda System, to report Pap test results. Under the Bethesda System, samples that have no cell abnormalities are reported as “negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy.” (The word lesion refers to an area of abnormal tissue.) A Pap test result may also report certain benign (non-neoplastic) findings, such as common, harmless infections or inflammation. Pap test results also indicate whether the specimen was satisfactory or unsatisfactory for examination.

The Bethesda System considers abnormalities of squamous cells (the thin, flat cells that form the surface of the cervix) and glandular cells (mucus-producing cells found in the endocervical canal [the opening in the center of the cervix] or in the lining of the uterus) separately. (Glandular cell abnormalities are much less common than squamous cell abnormalities.) Samples with cell abnormalities are divided into the following categories, ranging from the mildest to the most severe:

Squamous cell abnormalities:

• ASC—atypical squamous cells. This is the most common abnormal finding in Pap tests. The Bethesda System divides this category into two groups:

• ASC-US—atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. The squamous cells do not appear completely normal, but doctors are uncertain about what the cell changes mean. Sometimes the changes are related to HPV infection (see Question 12), but they can also be caused by other factors. For women who have ASC-US, a sample of cells may be tested for the presence of high-risk HPV types. If high-risk HPV is present, colposcopy will usually be performed. On the other hand, a negative HPV test can provide reassurance that cancer or a precancerous condition is not present.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detec...