Comments on: Guest Post: Me? Pre-Cancerous?

By: wickismom

wickismom — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:24:43 +0000

I learned that PAP smears are best done NOT right after childbirth…. better to wait about half a year. But do get it done. (And of course mammeography as well….)

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By: Ms. Krieger

Ms. Krieger — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:55:29 +0000

Ruth,

I am glad you posted this — it is very important for everyone to get regular Pap smears. I’m a little confused by your terminology, though. Do you mean by ‘level 2′ is CIN-2 (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia level 2)?

If so, readers should know
1. That it is not cancer (yet).
2. Only 50pc of CIN-2 cases will become cancerous. The rest will clear up on their own. (However, of course you don’t want to wait and see!)

(My information on this is from the well-referenced Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_intraepithelial_neoplasia )

So if this had happened 200 years ago, you would have had a 50-50 chance of living to age 40 (or dying of something else.) Not to trivialize it. Just don’t want to scare people unnecessarily. And I have read other places that, after a woman has 3 normal Pap smears in a row, she can safely get them just once every three years. This has been standard policy in the UK for awhile and the US is considering adopting it.

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By: Allan Katz

Allan Katz — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:44:54 +0000

Thanks for sharing. With all the possible things that can go wrong , one can get quite neurotic. But as you say – check ups in the early stages is the way to go
Allan Katz recently posted..Mindfulness for children 2 (dofollow)

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By: Hannah Katsman

Hannah Katsman — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:22:11 +0000

huv–thanks for posting those guidelines.

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By: Toni

Toni — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:43:47 +0000

I had my uterus removed and the doctor found cancer cells. After 1 week+ of radiation
treatments I backed out and changed to a strict alternative diet. I haven’t felt this good
in a long time. Check ups will be through an MRI in order to avoid any type of radiation.
Has anyone been through something similar? Yes, early checkups should be #1 on your
list. Yes…there are so many reasons why we don’t go to a doctor, but it’s your LIFE that
is on the line. Get going and make your appointments and make them on a permanent
basis. May everyone have a long and healthy life.

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By: Ruth

Ruth — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:03:25 +0000

Hey there point taken and I agree. Just to explain that this actually started as an email I sent to friends. The original format of which much remains was pretty informal. Please also consider that I am an extremely private person who took the decision that my innate need for privacy is not a reason not to share this and maybe just maybe save one more life. I cannot pretend to be totally comfortable that I sent this to every woman on my facebook list and on my email list but then again, I believe that in life in order to grow as people, we really need to step outside of our comfort zone and extend ourselves. I’m sure you agree with that right?! Therefore some things were a little understated and kept light. I hope that gives a little context but you are indeed right, terminology is important and treating this matter seriously is too. Be well.

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By: huv123

huv123 — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:47:59 +0000

Surely if you have had a baby you can say the word gynecologist and birth control/pill, not lady doctor and a “prescription..if you get my drift”. Part of having bodily autonomy is being able to talk about the human body in grown up terminology. Every woman should be having a pap smear every 1-2 years from when they are sexually active, or 21 if not yet sexually active.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/29176-acog-pap-smear-guidelines/

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By: Naomi

Naomi — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:26:57 +0000

Good for you for publishing this! Busy women with children always need encouragement to look after our health, especially pre-cautiounary measures. Ladies, it’s about SAVING YOUR LIFE!
Naomi recently posted..Is Your Website Clean for Pesach? (dofollow)

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By: Shoshanna

Shoshanna — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:08:36 +0000

Thanks for this informative and interesting guest post.
I think as Orthodox women we may tend to get complacent. I’ve been told that women in monogamous relationships are at lower risk, and that the laws of Taharat Hamishpachah put us in tune with our bodies and make us more likely to catch any abnormality. However this piece is a good reminder not to skip ANY recommended exams.

The medical guidelines have changed somewhat (at least here in the US) and I’m now told that it’s not recommended for every year. Here is a link to the latest guidelines:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pap-smear/my00090/dsection=why-its-done

I’m wondering how strong the research behind it is, and if I should be insisting on it anyway. In general I trust my doc, but just wondering if anyone has looked into this. If I remember correctly, I’ve been getting them annually since my 20s. I’m glad they caught this one and that you will be fine, IY”H.

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