Not wanting to treat cervical cancer risk because babies

[Cran]

Apart from this particular situation, HPV in its early stages IS often overdiagnosed and overtreated, with its own host of particular problems, side-effects and long term damage... so I do not think she's all out crazy for at least asking.

[Four is Enough]

To me, the question shows conclusively that these people do not "wait upon the will of God" to decide their fertility. They try to wrest it right out of God's hands and usurp it for themselves. If she had any idea that treatment would indeed enhance her fertility, she'd have had it, no problem. But since there is a small possibility that treatment might interfere with her fertility, she is flipping out and thinking "no"..

Girl needs to do actual research, get a second or third opinion, and stop worrying about future babies. Needs to worry about her future health.

[longtimelurker6]

Like others, I've seen this kind of compulsive baby-milling, with no consideration for those already born (who often are looked upon as mere annoyances).

I think there are two things at work here. One is "I'm such a worthless individual... unless I produce teh babeez!"

The other, I suspect, is a kind of unconscious death-wish. When someone has five children and doesn't really want them, and feels she "ought" to produce yet more, crawling into a nice, quiet, dark hole in the ground might seem like an appealing alternative.

[browncoatslytherin]

HIV / AIDs is still NOT curable. It's generally manageable. With the correct medications. That people have to take FOREVER. Each of which can have their own awful side effects. I was on anti-virals for another condition - absolutely, positively no fun. And having HIV /AIDs means you always have to consider the disease, and make it your first concern, when making any relationship or reproductive decisions.

I knw it wasn't the main point of your post-- but I think people often tend to forget that "manageable" with any serious, chronic disease can be extremely difficult, expensive and often there will still be significant life altering symptoms - even when the disease is considered under control. And is completely different than " curable" . When you're cured of some horrible disease you no longer have to deal with it every single day.

qft. even the cases you hear about being "cured" the doctors are actually watching the patients very, very closely, because i do remember in one case the virus did come back in detectable levels in the blood again. i wish i could remember more details, but from what i remember, the baby was treated with a barrage of anti-virals from birth, the virus went down to undetectable levels, but then the parents never brought the child back in for any check ups for something like two years (during which time the child obviously wasn't taking any of the drugs), and then when they finally did, the virus was detectable again. so, it wasn't really cured, more like extremely suppressed for a while.

[Hane]

One of my friends developed breast cancer as a young mom. After she had a clean bill of health, she decided not to have another child (although she wanted one), because she had read that the hormonal changes in pregnancy might trigger a recurrence of her particular strain of breast cancer. As she told us, "My daughter needs a mother more than she needs a baby brother."

[bluehydrangea]

Apart from this particular situation, HPV in its early stages IS often overdiagnosed and overtreated, with its own host of particular problems, side-effects and long term damage... so I do not think she's all out crazy for at least asking.

Agreed, HPV in general is overblown as it does often heal itself. Though in this case, with it being high risk, stage 2, and she's being told that she needs surgery...honestly, I know it's tempting, but she shouldn't be blasting it online. She needs to get a second opinion and go from there.

-- edited because I stated that she blasted it on Facebook when it may have been somewhere else, wasn't paying attention

[browncoatslytherin]

Agreed, HPV in general is overblown as it does often heal itself. Though in this case, with it being high risk, stage 2, and she's being told that she needs surgery...honestly, I know it's tempting, but she shouldn't be blasting it online. She needs to get a second opinion and go from there.

-- edited because I stated that she blasted it on Facebook when it may have been somewhere else, wasn't paying attention

well wherever it was...if she didn't put it on blast online, how could anybody else know how holy and christian-y she is?

[PennySycamore]

One of my friends developed breast cancer as a young mom. After she had a clean bill of health, she decided not to have another child (although she wanted one), because she had read that the hormonal changes in pregnancy might trigger a recurrence of her particular strain of breast cancer. As she told us, "My daughter needs a mother more than she needs a baby brother."

I was friends with a young woman who got breast cancer in her early or mid-20s. She'd never been married or had children. (She had been engaged to a real asshole though.) She ended up going to Bethesda, MD, to the National Cancer Institute and was successfully treated. She decided a few years later to have a baby and the cancer came back. It killed her this time. I wish she'd made the decision to not get pregnant. She might still be alive.

[Howl]

Not quite clear on why this woman does not just get tested to see if she has one of the two strains of HPV that typically continue on to cancer and make an informed decision based on that.

Also, if she waits too long, the chances of the LEEP procedure needing to be more extensive, thus more chance of affecting her fertility, right?

[keen23]

Because we will be teaching condom-use and smartly picking partners. The chance of getting HPV with proper condom use and not sleeping with anyone willing is very tiny. We aren't going to run to vaccines for everything under the sun. If our girls decide in their later teen years that they want it, at that point they'll be close enough to legal adults, so we'd support it. But we are not going to inject 11-year-olds with this vaccine.

I am glad that you do vaccinate for some things. I'm probably at the opposite end of the vaccination spectrum. If there's a vaccine available, my kids are getting it. If I can get it, I do too. Flu shots every year (my husband complains every year that the flu shot gives him the flu, but that's all in his head- he's prone to mancolds). Chicken pox vaccine. Guardasil for HPV. Meningitis vaccine. I would rather over vaccinate than under.

[Jana814]

One of my friends developed breast cancer as a young mom. After she had a clean bill of health, she decided not to have another child (although she wanted one), because she had read that the hormonal changes in pregnancy might trigger a recurrence of her particular strain of breast cancer. As she told us, "My daughter needs a mother more than she needs a baby brother."

Smart move on your friends part!!

[already hungover]

I am glad that you do vaccinate for some things. I'm probably at the opposite end of the vaccination spectrum. If there's a vaccine available, my kids are getting it. If I can get it, I do too. Flu shots every year (my husband complains every year that the flu shot gives him the flu, but that's all in his head- he's prone to mancolds). Chicken pox vaccine. Guardasil for HPV. Meningitis vaccine. I would rather over vaccinate than under.

Ditto. I just got my last dose of Gardasil today and feel so fortunate that I was young enough to get it. This week, I've been vaccinated against HPV, influenza, and pneumonia. The only vaccine I do not get is tetanus, and that's because I have a life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) to it.

[Aurora rising]

My mum died three years ago because she didn´t want treatment for her breast cancer. She never believed in "normal medicine" and thought that a change in her lifestyle (food etc) will do her better than chemo. Unfortunately and predictely the cancer spread in her spine and her liver. She got chemo and radiation THEN because she was getting hysteric and scared and the cancer even reacted very good to it. But it was too late, her body was damaged beyond repair and she died 6 months after the diagnosis.

If she would have started the treatment when she to the first diagnosis, she would still live, enjoy her children and her only grandchild. It still makes me angry and frustrated to think about it.

And a woman with small kids is so selfish just she just thinks about herself? Stupid b***

[KnittingOwl]

I am glad that you do vaccinate for some things. I'm probably at the opposite end of the vaccination spectrum. If there's a vaccine available, my kids are getting it. If I can get it, I do too. Flu shots every year (my husband complains every year that the flu shot gives him the flu, but that's all in his head- he's prone to mancolds). Chicken pox vaccine. Guardasil for HPV. Meningitis vaccine. I would rather over vaccinate than under.

I will not be immunizing my daughter with Gardasil. I hope there is a better vaccine available for HPV when she is older. The long term studies on effectiveness with Gardasil after 5 years really aren't very good.

From my work as a microbiologist on a Human Microbiome Project, I can tell you that we estimate 70% of women carry a strain of HPV. It is incredibly common. I would like to see girls and boys immunized with a more effective HPV vaccine.

[Olive Plant]

Apart from this particular situation, HPV in its early stages IS often overdiagnosed and overtreated, with its own host of particular problems, side-effects and long term damage... so I do not think she's all out crazy for at least asking.

Yeah, this woman doesn't actually have cancer. She has "pre-cancer." Even if it's left untreated, it's not guaranteed to turn into cancer. With level 2, I think most gynecologists will be OK with you trying to wait six months with alternate treatments and then re-testing. If it progresses to level 3 then it's definitely recommended to get the LEEP. HPV is very common and condoms don't always prevent it. So says science and my personal experience.

As for wanting more kids if you already have five, that seems a little odd, but even that aside having your cervix cut up is not a pleasant experience and lots of people wait to see if they can figure something else out first. The LEEP doesn't cut off much but from what I've heard it can still feel like "the center of your being" is being removed.

[Mama Mia]

I don't like to jump on every new vaccine the second it comes out. I was fortunate when the Gardasil came out that our daughters were already teens- twenties. So they were able to decide for themselves. If I recall 3 out of 4 who were in the right age range got it.

I can sorta see the logic behind giving it at 11, before ( hopefully!) it's an issue. But I can also see waiting a couple more years and then encouraging my daughter to do the research and make that decision themselves.

[BrownieMomma]

I don't like to get new vaccines. I was reluctant to let my kids get the cpox vax.

I was quite dismayed when my young teen son's pediatrician recommended he also get the gardasil.

Didn't do it.