Cervical biopsy results

Hey everyone.
I was just wondering if any of you have ever had a Pap smear done to check for HPV, chlamydia, aerobic bacteria, or mycoplasma? I'm trying to wrap my head around the whole process and could really use some insight. Thanks so much!

Ask away! 😉

goldenheron57 said:Hi everyone.
I am wondering if anyone here has had a cervical swab done for HPV, chlamydia, aerobic bacteria, and mycoplasma. I need some information. Thanks!

You can have all of that handled by your gynecologist. They take the samples and send them to Rockefeller. Results take ten days, though chlamydia takes a bit longer. You can have them mailed to you or pick them up at the doctor's office. Changes related to HPV usually show up on a Pap smear, but if you want specific testing, you can go to a private clinic. Ask if you need anything else.

So, here’s the deal: I really want to get tested for everything. My private OB-GYN told me that getting a Pap smear would cost me about $500 unless I could somehow get a referral from my insurance. So, my primary care doctor finally gave me a referral to go to 16 Arlington Ave. The plan was basically for me to head over there, grab some paperwork, take it back to my regular gynecologist so she can actually perform the tests, and then loop back to the clinic on Arlington Ave with the results. It all seemed pretty straightforward to me, I guess, until I called the clinic yesterday. They were being so difficult and acting like I was asking for something impossible, which led to me getting into this whole 15-minute argument with them. Eventually, the woman on the phone just sort of gave in and said, "Fine, whatever, you can do it." Honestly, the whole thing just left me feeling totally confused!

Oh, I’m sure that’s exactly how you handled it. I did the same thing myself... I headed over there, grabbed the test tubes, and nobody thought twice about it. I took them straight to my gynecologist and then returned them to the lab afterward. Then, about two weeks later, if I remember correctly, I went back to pick up the results.

My experience went a little differently this time... I skipped my usual private gynecologist and opted for someone through my insurance provider instead, mostly because it felt redundant to visit a specialist just for swabs when I’d already had my Pap smear, ultrasound, and full exam done at Mercy Hospital during my routine physical. Anyway, yesterday I stopped by the clinic on Manhattan (over at the General Electric building) where they took the swab—it was quick and straightforward, and since they keep supplies on hand, I didn't even have to bring my own vials. However, I did have to trek over to Rockefeller Plaza 10 with the referral they handed me to drop everything off. Now comes the part where I wait two weeks before heading back to the doctor for the results, though she'll be seeing me sooner because I carry premium supplemental insurance; if I didn't have that coverage, I'd actually be expected to go fetch the results from Rockefeller myself, which is just pure absurdity.👎

For now, I'm just waiting on the labs and hoping for the best.👍

Amy Bailey39 said:I mean, I'm sure that's exactly how you did it. I actually went through the same thing... I showed up there, grabbed the test tubes, nobody even blinked an eye, took them over to my gynecologist, and then brought them back to them later... and then maybe two weeks after that, I think I had to head back there again to pick up the results.

Honestly, it felt super weird to me too because both my regular doctor and my private OB-GYN told me that’s just how the process works, but then this woman at the CDC in New York was trying to convince me it wasn't possible just because I was seeing a private specialist, even though I actually have a referral (I mean, a private doctor would just take the swabs and charge me a ton of money for it $33). I ended up arguing with her on the phone for like fifteen minutes before she finally gave in and said, okay, fine, you can do it. I don't know... I guess I just don't get what is wrong with people lately?!

Betty Nelson4 said:so, my whole experience went like this... I didn't go to my usual private gynecologist because, I don't know, it felt kind of silly to just go in for swabs when I'd already had my Pap, ultrasound, and full exam done at St. Jude's through my physical... anyway, yesterday I finally saw a doctor over on Manhattan (at the General Electric clinic) and they took my swab really quickly and easily, plus I didn't even have to bring my own test tubes since they have them right there in the office, though I did have to drop everything off at Rockefeller Plaza 10 using a referral they gave me... after that, I'm stuck waiting about two weeks before I can head back to see her with the results, and she’ll be seeing me then since I have good supplemental insurance coverage... if I didn't have that, I'd probably have to trek over to Rockefeller myself to pick them up, which honestly feels like such an absurd way to do things.👎

for now I'm just waiting on the results and hoping everything turns out fine👍

thanks 🙂my doctor actually gave me a referral for 16 Arlington Ave instead of Rockefeller.

goldenheron57 said:Thanks, 🙂 but my doctor actually gave me a referral for 16 Arlington Ave rather than Rockefeller.

Fine, go ahead and do it that way... I honestly can't wrap my head around the distinction between Arlington and Rockefeller. For what it's worth, my doctor sent me straight to Rockefeller.🤷

If any of you ladies happen to know the difference, please speak up; I’m genuinely curious.😕

All I really know is that Arlington is basically the local public health clinic for the city, whereas Rockefeller acts more like the national CDC.

That lady gave you some solid advice—a private doctor is going to charge you a bit to run the swabs, but it’ll probably be around $33, which is way better than the massive $1,000+ bill you'd face if you did the whole thing privately. You basically just use the referral to finish the rest of the process at the CDC facility on Arlington Avenue. 😉
I guess whether you need to pick up the test tubes or swabs first really depends on your gynecologist—like, if they already have them on hand or not—but if they don't, they should be able to give them to you at the CDC.
The last time I had this done, my insurance-covered OBGYN took the swabs, and I ended up carrying the tubes over to the facility on Arlington Avenue to drop them off and eventually pick up the results. In the past, my GP would just hand me a referral for the center at 8 Arlington Ave—basically the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center—and they’d take the swabs there. I think they only do it twice a week, maybe Mondays and Wednesdays? You just show up early in the morning, the doctor takes the samples, and then you either go back later or they mail the results to you.
Now, there’s also—or at least I think there is—this other option where you carry the tubes over to Rockefeller Plaza, that big building right in the middle of the park... but honestly, I have no clue what the actual difference is between that lab and the one over at 16 Arlington Ave.

Chloe Williams17 said:You can actually get all of that handled right at your local GP's office. They’ll just take the samples and send them over to Rockefeller, and you'll usually have the results back within ten days—though chlamydia might take a bit longer to process. I can either mail the results to you or you can just swing by the doctor's to pick them up yourself. As for HPV changes, those typically show up on your paperwork, but if you're looking to be thorough and get specific testing, you can always go to a private clinic. If there’s anything else on your mind, just ask.

The thing is, HPV-related changes don't even show up in as many as 40% of cases. If you really want peace of mind, the safest bet is to go for full genotyping.

So, I was wondering, how does someone actually go about doing the typing part?

goldenheron57 said:how does the typing actually work?

Look, the process is fairly straightforward: your OB-GYN performs a swab, sends it off to the lab, and you’re usually waiting about two weeks for the results to come back. They screen for 13 different high-risk strains, and while that specific test is roughly 97% accurate, if you combine it with a Pap smear, you're looking at about 99% certainty. It's important to remember, though, that a Pap smear isn't technically an HPV test—it's designed to catch cellular changes, and just because those changes haven't surfaced yet doesn't mean everything is perfectly fine.

Rebecca Lopez said:So, basically, your OB-GYN just takes a swab, sends it off for testing, and you get your results back in about two weeks. They check for 13 different high-risk strains, and the test itself is about 97% accurate, though if you add a Pap smear into the mix, it goes up to 99%. I guess it's important to remember that a Pap test isn't actually looking for HPV directly, but rather for any cell changes, which might not even show up yet.

Ahaaa, okay. Thanks so much, everything makes way more sense to me now.🙂

Since we’re already talking about this... during those annual checkups, they usually just run a Pap smear. If everything comes back looking totally fine, nobody ever really asks to do any other swabs or whatever. I can't even remember the exact percentage for how accurate a Pap test actually is, but you know what I mean... What should someone do if they've literally never had anything done besides the Pap? I'm a little lost here, so I figured I'd just ask.🤷

swiftpanther102 said:Since we’re already on the subject... you know how during those annual checkups they always do a Pap smear? It seems like if everything comes back looking totally normal, nobody ever bothers asking about other swabs or deeper screenings. But honestly, what is the actual accuracy rate of a Pap test anyway? I don't want to just throw out random numbers, but I really wonder. And more importantly, what should someone actually do if they’ve only ever had that one specific test done and nothing else? I’m genuinely a bit lost here, so I figured I’d just ask.🤷

Honestly, you don't even need to lift a finger right now because as long as the Pope is doing well, nobody’s going to push you to do anything extra, you know? Just try not to overthink all those looming problems and just stay happy while the Pope is still in good health—people like him are becoming such a rare breed these days, and I have to say, I’m actually a little jealous!

swiftpanther102 said:While we're on the subject... they do a Pap smear during my annual checkup. If everything looks clean, nobody ever asks for other swabs or anything. I can't even remember the accuracy rate for a Pap test—don't ask me for numbers, I'm not a math whiz—but what should someone do if they've never had any testing done besides the Pap? Just trying to wrap my head around it.🤷

Since I know you deal with E. coli from time to time, it might be a smart move to get a cervical swab just to make sure it hasn't migrated up there...
Basically, my OB-GYN suggested I get one last week, because there's a chance my partner is carrying it and passing it back to me every time I clear it up.
(If the swab comes back clear, at least I won't be stressing about it anymore)

So yeah, if you have a partner and you feel like you're stuck in this loop, getting that swab probably wouldn't be a bad idea...

Donna Chase12 said:Since I know you deal with E. coli every once in a while, it might be a smart move to get a Pap smear just to make sure it hasn't migrated up there too...
basically, my doctor suggested I get one last week, because there's a chance my partner has it too and keeps passing it back to me every time I clear it...
(if the test comes back clean, at least I can stop worrying)

Well, if you have a partner and this keeps coming back, it probably wouldn't hurt to get that swab done...

I don't know... honestly, feels like I've got it under control (cranberry juice is my lifesaver). I'll probably just run a urine culture... that'll tell me if it's actually hanging around. It's been a minute since I had to check, but I haven't really needed to lately.

You can get all those swabs, including the HPV genotyping, done through private clinics too. For the HPV genotype alone, you're looking at $167, and when you bundle everything together, the whole thing runs about $167, so maybe $1,000. I took my referral straight to Rockefeller Plaza 12 to get the swabs handled at the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center, but then I had a private OB-GYN clinic ($117) actually perform the collection. Looking back, I realize I ended up paying a pretty steep price for the whole ordeal.😲