Doctors recommend annual Pap smears for all adult women and teens who are sexually active. These tests can show abnormalities in the cells of the cervix, known as dysplasia. Cervical dysplasia is most often caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. When abnormalities appear, women are brought in for a procedure called a colposcopy. Colposcopies allow a doctor to more closely examine a woman's cervix, as well as giving them the opportunity to take biopsies for analysis. Depending on the results of these tests, various treatments can be prescribed to treat the dysplasia.
Mild Dysplasia Treatment
Mild dysplasia most often goes away on its own. Your doctor will likely want to monitor you with regular Pap smears and HPV testing, but no more invasive procedures are necessary at the time of diagnosis. Doctors believe that HPV goes into a "dormant" state, but they are unsure if it is possible to cure or remove the virus altogether.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is one method that doctors may use for removing precancerous lesions. This process involves using liquid nitrogen to freeze the affected area (which has usually manifested itself as some sort of genital wart), allowing the doctor to remove them easily. It is usually performed as an outpatient surgery, and while you may experience some cramping, it is generally painless. If you are prone to cramping, it might be a good idea to take some over-the-counter pain medication before your appointment.
LEEP
Another way of treating HPV dysplasia is known as a loop electrosurgical excision procedure, or LEEP. This procedure allows the doctor to cut away a layer of the cervix. It takes only a few minutes, and the process is similar to that of a regular Pap smear. The doctor will use a thin wire loop that has an electrical current running through it to make the cut, and, as a result ,some bleeding and discharge may occur. Patients have also reported feeling faint during the procedure, and if this happens, you should bring it to the attention of your doctor immediately.
Laser Surgery
Laser surgery is another simple, outpatient procedure that can help to treat dysplasia. The laser beam used in the procedure can burn off the necessary cells or allow the doctor to extract them for testing. It is relatively painless, and taking some over-the-counter pain medication before your appointment can provide relief. The laser also cauterizes the wound, so the amount of bleeding you can expect to experience is minimal--light spotting is normal, but if you are bleeding more than this, it's a good idea to contact your doctor.
Surgical Options
There are two types of surgical options that can be used to treat HPV dysplasia--simple hysterectomies, and radical hysterectomies. These treatments are most often used to treat dysplasia that is already cancerous, or when other treatments have failed. The simple hysterectomy involves removing the uterus through an incision while the patient is under general anesthesia. A patient will have to stay in the hospital for several days afterward. A radical hysterectomy is much the same as the simple; however, in this procedure, tissue around the uterus and vagina is also removed. The recovery time for a radical hysterectomy is quite a bit longer than for a simple one. Both of these procedures will make the patient infertile, though generally there is no loss of her sexual function.
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