(PSA: This is a lighthearted rant to keep me from losing the only two marbles I have left in my brain.)
I’ve been lurking here for a bit and finally decided to share my very long, very persistent...I am talking 8 years y'all... cervical saga (and ongoing, will update as this all goes down). Mainly to have some cheerleaders, see others experiences...or be that post you come across in 5 years digging for people with the same frustration.
My first abnormal pap came back in 2019 as LSIL/CIN1. At the time, I was basically told, “no big deal, super common, we’ll just keep an eye on it.” Cool, love that for me.
...and we have continued to “just keep an eye on it” for years. Since it was only CIN1, no further checks have been proposed until now.
Since then, my results have been the same CIN1/LSIL - Negative HPV. Never showing that it has ever progressed (which is good!)… but also never gone away (which is annoying). I literally think my cervix chose a personality and refuses to grow out of it. Immature if you ask me.
At one point, I was told that having a baby could act like a “hard reset” for your cervix, so of course I thought, “perfect, problem solved.” Jokes on me… I had my "prize-catch" sized baby in 2023 and it said "absolutely not, same settings as before except you might pee yourself occasionally".
A few other things about my situation:
- I’ve changed doctors a couple of times over the last decade going from local health department, to certified crazy lady, to the sweetest old man ever who is never allowed to retire. He (who I started seeing when I was pregnant in 2022) has honestly been the most helpful and thorough.
- But despite all this time, I was never offered a colposcopy… until now. We’ve basically been in “wait and watch” for 8 years.
At this point I feel like I’m in on medical daytime soap opera that should’ve been cancelled 3 seasons ago.
TLDR: WTF... Just kidding. But here's the timeline based on results I can find (worded based on how they show on the paper):
2018 (20 years old): LSIL (Labcorp)
2019: "LSIL Encompassing HPV/CIN1" (but only specified it WASN'T HPV 16 or 18). (Labcorp)
2020: LSIL - Neg HPV (Labcorp)
2021: LSIL - Neg HPV (Quest Diagnostics)
2023: LSIL/CIN1 (2 months after having baby) Neg HPV (Quest Diagnostics)
2025: LSIL (Cunningham Pathology)
April 14 2026 (28 years old): "(LSIL), a more advanced lesion may be present. Negative HPV 6/7" (Quest Diagnostics)
******GOING IN FOR A COLPOSCOPY MAY 11TH, 2026! I will keep you all updated.
Not looking for medical advice, just genuinely curious:
Has anyone else had persistent CIN1/LSIL for THIS DAMN LONG long? Like… 5+ years? 8 years?? Do some cervixes just commit to the bit forever?? If so, have you decided to just let these cells hang out rent free until something does happen? Or did you go further than a colp?
Thanks for reading the memoir of my cervix. I tried to keep this lighthearted, as I know this can be somewhat of a stressful experience for some! I am just at the point of annoyance that it's lasted this dang long. I'll post along the remainder of my journey (which based on the track record so far...y'all will probably just get a yearly "SURPRIZE! Still LSIL" update. Maybe I just make it a Colposcopy Anniversary Reddit family tradition?)