Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cervical Dysplasia

Cervical Dysplasia is one of those scary medical terms that can send you spinning when your doctor mentions it. Before you let the worst case scenarios fill up your head, let us tell you exactly what this condition means.

Cervical Dysplasia means abnormal cells were found on your cervix during your Pap smear. Although it is most often caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and may lead to cancer if not treated, the presence of dysplasia does not mean you have cervical cancer.

Another scary term you might hear within this convo is cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. This is same thing as dysplasia.

Typically, the condition does not produce any signs or symptoms. Cases can vary from mild to moderate to severe and 50% of the time, it goes away on its own.

Here’s what will happen if your Pap shows signs of Cervical Dysplasia:

• Your doctor may recommend an HPV test
• Your doctor may recommend a Colposcopy, which is an examination of your cervix, vagina and vulva
• Your doctor will likely recommend a follow-up in a year to check for additional changes
• If you have severe dysplasia, your doctor could recommend treatment to remove the abnormal cells

One way to protect yourself from Cervical Dysplasia is by getting the HPV vaccine. The vaccine can stimulate regression of the condition and thus guard against the development of cervical cancer.

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