Hi Lulu67,

I'm in a similar situation and I came here to post the same question! I think you are right that it means pre-cancerous and not cancerous.

I too have had repeated normal smears, my last one (NHS) was only 2 years before the positive result so I am also worried about what a sudden high grade status means.

I hope you get your colposcopy soon. It is frightening having something like this at the moment when it is difficult to get through and have a proper chat with doctors etc. isn't it? 

Hopefully a nurse on here will answer your question!

Hi and thanks for your post

It can be very distressing getting results back which aren't straightforward and need further intervention and it's understandable that you are anxious about this.

It's very common though to get abnormal cells  and to get treatment and hopefully you will hear back from someone on the forum.

Dyskaryosis means a change in cells and on a smear result are classified as mild moderate and severe. None of these are cancer- if left untreated for many many years they may eventually become cancerous, but that is why there is the cervical screening programme every 3 yrs and every 5 yrs after 50 years of age, to pick up any changes like these and get them treated early.

Things can change within 3 years from normal to severe, as the changes are driven by the HPV virus which is usually cleared by the immune system , but can come back at any time having been 'asleep' in the body. Most people - over 80% ,will have the HPV virus at one time , but as I say, it's usually cleared by the immune system and doesn't cause any further problems. There's more about HPV here  

Mild changes will not usually need any treatment as they tend to revert back to normal, though moderate and severe changes are treated in the clinic.

At colposcopy they will be able to examine your cervix more closely and will take some biopsies so they know the exact stage of abnormal cells as this can sometimes change to a lesser degree like mild or moderate. Sometimes, but more rarely, very early ,easily treated cancer cells can also be picked up .

You can read more about abnormal cells here  and about the colposcopy here  

You will have a repeat smear in 6 months to check everything is ok.

There's a lot to take in , but do give us a ring if you would like to go over any of this - on  Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Try and not let your thoughts jump ahead too much  and hopefully you won't have too long to wait to be seen.

All the best

Wanda