Fear of cervical cancer ruining everything

[kate13]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and I'm sorry for jumping straight in with my nonsense but I'm desperately afraid and need some help.

I'm a 26 year old woman. In november last year, I discovered I was 14 weeks pregnant but the pregnancy was not "viable" and they had to remove it surgically (identical to an abortion). 2 weeks after that I had the depo injection.

Since then I have been having very small amounts of bleeding, usually just brown spotting when I use a tissue (sorry if that is tmi) and a bit more sometimes after sex. The bleeding is usually once a day, sometimes a couple of times and now and then nothing at all.

Well last friday I went for a smear because I was terrified. The nurse was very nice and said that it could just be the depo. She also said that my cervix looks very healthy and can see nothing wrong with it - she even jokingly said it was beautiful.

But I can't stop panicking. I'm terrified that I have cancer, and that if it's causing this bleeding it's too advanced for them to cure it and that in 4 weeks when I get the letter with my results it will tell me those awful words.

I'm getting married in May and can't concentrate on any of the lovely things happening. I can't even think about the future because I'm so scared I'm not going to have one and that I'll never have that life with my fiance. I lay awake half the night and can't stop crying half the time.

Please, has anyone been in a similar situation before?

[Anonybrit]

Hey hey, you really shouldn't be worrying about this, honestly. After the surgical termination and depo, it would be incredibly unlikely that you wouldn't have spotting, or pain.

That's what I'd have told you if you hadn't been for a smear, but you've even had that! Let me tell you, it's usually not hard to tell someone straight up if there is or isn't anything to worry about on their cervix and if the nurse said you had a beautiful one then you honestly have nothing at all to worry about.

If you want a bit of visual reassurance from the side that we in the profession see it, this is a normal cervix:

http://depts.washington.edu/nnptc/online_training/std_handbook/gallery/images/normCervix.jpg <- what your nurse saw

and this is an early stage of cervical cancer, it's not even considered full blown cancer!

http://www2.uni-jena.de/ufk/frk_info/inf9812/kolp1a.jpg

^ Pretty hard to mistake the two!

Also, even a patient who did have cervical cancer with bleeding isn't necessarily beyond the point of treatment by any means.


You're fine, don't worry about a thing, relax and enjoy the run up to your wedding. If any symptoms persist then do go back to the docs, but remember that it's going to be something related to the surgery etc., you have absolutely nothing to worry about cancer wise.

[sandradee]

'brown spotting' is very often hormonal, possibly your body getting back to normal. Please don't worry, if you've had a smear test all is well.

[Lissy43]

I had a surgical termination in December, my periods have been very heavy and painful.

The depo causes alot of bleeding, my sister had awful trouble on it, she bled nearly ever single day. It will take a while for things to settle with the new rush of hormones from the depo and it can take a long time for you to get over a misscarrage/abortion.

Take care xx

[kate13]

Thank you so much guys.

Anonybrit, the photos really helped thank you. I can't say I'm not worried anymore but you did make me feel better. I know I just have to wait for the results and try to not think about it.

[kate13]

Sorry to bother you all again.

Well my swabs came back normal - so I don't have an infecion or anything. Now I just have to wait another 3 weeks for the smear results.

To be honest, I was sort of hoping it would be an infection because since the nurse didn't see a cervical erosion or polyp I can't think what else could be causing my bleeding if it's not cancer unless it is just the depot. God I'm ridiculous.