Whether it was with your GP’s metal duckbill or the pink self-sampling brush, you’ve made it through your cervical MOT. And let’s be honest, you probably expect to be relieved of that population screening for the next five years. But then suddenly there is a letter on your doorstep stating that you are HPV positive. It also states that abnormal cells have been found that, according to the GP, have been stamped Pap 2. And well, what now? Women’s Health lists all the facts about a Pap 2 result after a Pap smear.
What is Pap 2?
The Pap classification is a way to assess how suspicious a Pap smear is for (a precursor of) cancer. For cells that appear calm, you will get a Pap 1 result. For restless cells you get a higher Pap class. And what exactly is Pap 2? There are a few minor deviations in this result. Not something to be very scared of, but something to keep an eye on.
The Pap result of your smear is usually not included in the letter from the population screening, but you will be told by your GP. The letter from the population screening only states whether abnormal cells were visible and what the next steps are now. This is because one person with a Pap 2 result needs to go straight to the gynaecologist, while the other does not. You can read about how that works later on.
Were no abnormal cells found in your smear? Then read everything you need to know about a Pap 1 result here.
Pap 2 and HPV positive
If you have had the smear taken for the population screening, a Pap 2 result unfortunately also means that you are HPV positive. In the population screening, researchers always first check whether they have encountered the STD in the smear. Your cells are only examined if you are infected with the virus. They do this because HPV is the cause of cervical cancer in most cases. Researchers also immediately check what type of HPV you are infected with. Certain types of HPV – namely types 16 and 18 – are particularly notorious for their carcinogenic effect.
Want to know more about this STD? Read all about the human papillomavirus (HPV) here.
What to do with a Pap 2 result
With a Pap 2 result, the type of HPV determines what the next steps will be. If you are infected with types 16 and 18, you will immediately be referred to a gynaecologist. If you are infected with another type, you can look at it for a while. Chances are that your body will clean it up on its own. Twelve months later you can come back for a check-up. Once everything is back to normal, you will only have to participate in the population screening again in five years. If your second smear shows a Pap 2 or higher result, you will also have to go to the gynaecologist.
Will your smear result be higher than Pap 2? Then read everything you need to know about a Pap 3a result here.
Symptoms of a Pap 2 rash
Such a Pap 2 result is of course disappointing. You may wonder if you could have noticed the abnormalities of your cervix yourself. Unfortunately, it’s not always black and white. You can certainly develop symptoms from the abnormalities seen in a Pap 2. Consider, for example, blood loss during or after sex, between two periods or after menopause. But sometimes you don’t notice it at all. The aim of a population study is therefore to identify precisely those women who develop cancer without complaints.
And sure, after you get the results you will focus extra on any discomfort, but try to let it go. Abdominal pain is less likely to be a symptom of the Pap 2 result than the abdominal pain is less likely to be due to the stress of a Pap 2 result.
Cause of a Pap 2 rash
As we said earlier, HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and therefore of a Pap 2 result. There are a number of things that increase your risk of HPV and thus indirectly increase your risk of cervical cancer. HPV is and will remain an STD. Research shows that the more sexual contacts you have, the greater your risk of contracting the virus. If you become sexually active at a younger age, you also increase your risk of an abnormal result in a Pap smear. Fortunately, you can also reduce your risk of cervical cancer by using a condom and getting the HPV vaccination.
HPV negative but still a Pap 2 on smear
The chance of developing cervical cancer without an HPV infection is extremely small. But you already hear it, that chance is not zero. For example, cervical cancer may run in your family, which means that you are already at a higher risk with or without HPV. Even if you smoke, you are more likely to get an abnormal smear, apart from an STD infection. It is therefore certainly possible to get a Pap result of 2 or higher even with an HPV-negative smear. You will only find out if you have a smear taken by your GP outside the population screening.
Do you want a handy overview of all possible results after a Pap smear? Read all about the different Pap stages here.
Bron: RIVM.nl