Living with HPV and Cervical Cancer

By Todja Taylor

My story began in 2005 when my husband and I were trying to have a baby. We went to a fertility clinic and, after several tests, the clinic suggested that I visit my OB/GYN. I immediately scheduled an appointment. After the appointment, the doctor informed me that I had HPV and that he was referring me to a specialist for further testing. Not knowing what HPV was, I did some research on the Internet, and what I found out rocked my world.

The time came to meet with the oncologist/gynecologist, and he talked to me about HPV. He told me that certain types of HPV cause cervical cancer and that he was going to do a cone biopsy to determine if I had cervical cancer. After the biopsy was completed, the oncologist informed me that I had adenocarcinoma in-situ 2 (a malignant growth in the lining of the cervix that is a precursor to a type of invasive cervical cancer). The oncologist wanted to complete another biopsy to determine how much of the cervix had cancer on it. The second biopsy was completed, and the oncologist told me that all of the cancer was removed but I still had some precancerous cells. He said I should consider getting a partial hysterectomy.