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HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
Abnormal Pap Smear + HIV
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
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IMPORTANT
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
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Abnormal Pap Smear + HIV
by guiltnworry, Feb 21, 2007 12:00AM
In June 2006, I engaged in one instance of unprotected vaginal intercourse with a 23 year old white male. I am a 23 year old white female. Neither one of us has ever used IV drugs or shared needles for any reason. In any case, after this incident, I became pregnant and subsequently terminated the pregnancy at 8 weeks. At my post abortion check up (2 weeks post), I had a pap smear and the results came back abnormal. I subsequently had another pap smear with a colposcopy, an ECC biopsy and a cervical biopsy. My gynecologist said after the biopsy results came in that the results were fine and that I had nothing to worry about. To my knowledge, she did not do an HIV test. She did not seem concerned about it and never brought it up to me. I have never been diagnosed with an STD, although I have been on Zovirax/Famvir/Valtrex for oral herpes that I have had since I was a child. I have never had genital herpes.
I am very scared that I could have contracted HIV from this act of unprotected intercourse that resulted in me becoming pregnant. I asked this person if I should be worried, if he had ever been diagnosed with anything and he said I don't have anything to worry about. I finished my period last week and right after that, I noticed what I thought was a yeast infection. I used Monistat and it is gone. I am wondering what you think my chances for contracting HIV, given my post abortion abnormal pap smear?
I am very scared that I could have contracted HIV from this act of unprotected intercourse that resulted in me becoming pregnant. I asked this person if I should be worried, if he had ever been diagnosed with anything and he said I don't have anything to worry about. I finished my period last week and right after that, I noticed what I thought was a yeast infection. I used Monistat and it is gone. I am wondering what you think my chances for contracting HIV, given my post abortion abnormal pap smear?
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Feb 21, 2007 12:00AM
, Feb 21, 2007 12:00AM
There is nothing in your story that suggest any significant chance you have HIV. Having an abnormal pap is not a risk factor; HIV infections are just as common in people with and without abnormal pap smears or other signs of HPV infection. But if you are worried, have an HIV test. You can expect a negative result.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Abortion might cause signs of inflammation on pap smear, but that's not the kind of abnormality that needs a biopsy. You can be certain you had an HPV infection, just about the only thing that causes significantly abnormal pap smears.
The additional information you provide does not increase the near-zero risk that you have HIV. Opportunistic infections due to HIV are particular iinfections, all of them more severe than anything you describe, and do not include vaginal yeast infections.
I have no patience with "I'm too scared to have an HIV test", especially when the chance of a positive result is literally less than the chance of being hit by lightning. You're a grown-up and mature enough to be having sex, so you're mature enough to face an HIV test. And you had a pap smear, which is designed to diagnose cancer, for goodness' sake! No further follow-up comments or questions unless you want to return later to report your HIV test result. I don't mean this to be harsh, only realistic. Call it tough love.
HHH, MD