Cervical biopsy results

If your Pap smear comes back normal, there’s really no point in testing for HPV.
Besides, you’re getting that Pap done once a year anyway.

Let's say the HPV test actually comes back positive—so what? What are we even going to treat it with? There isn't an effective cure out there. They only step in if the HPV is positive AND the Pap shows actual changes. It's the exact same protocol if the Pap is abnormal but we don't know the HPV status. Basically, just sticking to the annual Pap is enough...

Now, if you're pregnant or have had new partners in the last year, then sure, you might get tested for chlamydia or gonorrhea. Otherwise, if there's some kind of discharge—whether you noticed it yourself or the doctor spots it during the exam—they can run a culture and treat whatever is going on...

Hey girls,🙂 I'm new here. I've got an appointment at 16 Arlington Ave tomorrow. Based on what I've read in your posts, it sounds like I'm just going there to grab some test tubes before heading back to my own OBGYN. Here's the thing though—I have two different referrals. One is for microbiology and the other is for the urogynecology clinic. Is everything located at that same address, or is the other part over at 8 Arlington Ave? Honestly, I've never been to this hospital before, and I don't even live in the city area.

Rebecca Hall2 said:hey ladies🙂 I'm new here... and I have an appointment tomorrow at 16 Arlington Ave. Based on what I've gathered from your posts, I think I'm just heading there to pick up some test tubes before heading back to my own gynecologist... but what's actually bothering me is that I have two different referrals—one for microbiology and another for the urogynecology clinic. For that second exam... are both of those located at the same address, or is one of them over at 8 Arlington Ave? Honestly, I've never been to this hospital before, and I'm not even from the local area.

I'm fairly certain it's all under one roof. My boyfriend had his checkup there recently and he was able to get everything handled in one single stop. Good luck!👍

bluedriver2 said:If your Pap smear comes back normal, there’s really no need to go hunting for HPV.
Besides, you're getting a Pap once a year anyway.

Let's look at the logic here: suppose an HPV test actually comes back positive—what then? What are we going to do about it? We don't exactly have a magic cure for it. Medical intervention only really kicks in if you have a positive HPV result *combined* with actual cellular changes found during the smear. It’s the exact same protocol if the Pap itself shows abnormalities even without knowing the HPV status. So, honestly, just sticking to the annual Pap is sufficient.

Now, if you happen to be pregnant or if you've had new partners over the last year, then sure, you might consider testing for chlamydia or gonorrhea. Otherwise, if there's some kind of discharge—whether you noticed it yourself or a doctor spots it during the exam—you can get a culture done and treat whatever is going on.

That said, if you've changed partners, I think it would be quite prudent to get HPV typing done, because that's the only way to be absolutely certain you're clear. I'll say it again: a Pap smear is not an HPV test, and in plenty of cases, you won't see any visible changes even if the virus is present.

Rebecca Lopez said:I think everything is at the same address. My boyfriend went there for his checkup and got everything done in one spot. Good luck!👍

thanks for the info, hope it doesn't hurt too much😢

I’ve been following this thread, but isn't that usually handled over at Mayo Clinic?
I went through the whole process a few years back—I actually requested all the swabs myself, including the HPV test, and everything came back negative, by the way 😁. My doctor at the local community health center sent me over to Mayo Clinic with a referral, and they took the swabs there. I had to personally carry the test tubes over to a building right behind the main clinic in the courtyard, since they can't just send them internally within the hospital system. Has the protocol changed recently? Is everyone heading over to Arlington now?

Betty Adams12 said:I’ve been following all of you, but hasn't this process moved away from the main downtown clinic?
I actually went through this myself a few years back—I requested all the swabs, including HPV, on my own initiative, and by the way, they all came back negative 😁. My doctor at the local community health center sent me over to the big metropolitan hospital with a referral, and that's where they took the samples. I ended up having to carry those test tubes over to a specific building just behind the hospital grounds in the courtyard, because apparently, they can't just send them internally within the hospital system themselves. Has something changed recently that requires people to head over to Arlington instead?

I honestly wouldn't know; I've always just known about the Arlington location and Rockefeller Plaza.

Alright, here’s the latest... 👍

If you have a referral for microbiology, head over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at Rockefeller Plaza 12—they actually open before 8🙂. Grab your swabs and test tubes there, then get back to your OB-GYN. They’ll take the samples, and then you bring them back to the CDC address mentioned above. No point going to 16 Arlington Ave because they don't handle individual requests like that anymore (not sure why, doesn't matter, just don't waste your time there).

Second thing: if you have two referrals—one for microbiology and one for the clinic—just do everything at the hospital in one shot. Apparently, at the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center, they only see people on Mondays and Wednesdays, and even then, you have to be there before 7 because they cap it at 20 patients.

I'm still waiting.🤷

Rebecca Lopez said:I'm not sure; I've always been familiar with Arlington Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza.

As for me, I only know about the Rock; I actually made my first trip there just last week.

Rebecca Hall2 said:Okay, so I just got some fresh info... 👍

So, if you've got a referral for microbiology testing, you should probably head over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at Rockefeller Plaza 12—they actually open up even before 8 🙂)—to pick up all your swabs and test tubes. Then you just take those back to your gynecologist, they'll do the actual swabbing, and you can bring everything back to that same CDC address mentioned above. There’s really no point in going to 16 Arlington Ave anymore because they don't seem to be handling individual requests like that anymore (I honestly have no clue why, and it probably doesn't even matter, but just don't waste your time going there).

The other thing is, if you happen to have two referrals—one for microbiology and one for the outpatient clinic—you can just get everything handled at the hospital all in one go. Apparently, at the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center, they only see people on Mondays and Wednesdays, and even then, you have to get there before 7 AM because they only take about 20 patients a day.

Anyway, I'm just sitting here waiting to see how this all plays out. 🤷

Wait, they aren't working there anymore?! Are you sure about that? Did you actually call them or something?

goldenheron57 said:They aren't working anymore?! You sure about that? Did you actually call them or what?

I was just there and the lady told me the OB-GYN wing only does appointments on Mondays and Wednesdays until 8 PM.. and as for 16 Arlington Ave, I know for a fact they don't hand out test tubes or needles anymore. You have to go to the CDC instead.. experienced it firsthand myself..

Hey, so I just gave the microbiology lab at Rockefeller Plaza 12 a call, and they told me I could just swing by to grab those test tubes starting at 7:30 AM. They actually mentioned they’re open every single day now, not just Mondays and Wednesdays like we thought. I guess I'm wondering, who was it that told you they were only open on Monday and Wednesday?

I had my checkup yesterday with my insurance-covered gynecologist, and she performed a Pap smear. However, since I dealt with HPV a few years back—thank God that’s behind me—she suggested it would be wise to run tests for HPV, chlamydia, and a few other things as well. She mentioned I need to drop by her office in the morning to coordinate everything once the Pap results are actually ready. But reading through your posts here, I’m seeing people mention having to pick up specific vials and then physically transporting those samples back after the swab is done. Is this standard practice for all public health clinics, or do some CDC-affiliated facilities handle the sample transport themselves?
thanks

I honestly feel like you’re always carrying the entire weight of this on your own. At least, that was my experience—my friend had to shoulder it all too, even though we weren't even in the same social circle.

Here is my experience—my sister, who works at the student health clinic, called me to say my Pap smear came back as CIN 1 and I needed to come in for swabs. When I finally got there, the gynecologist took them—she had those little test tubes ready—but once she was finished, she just asked if I’d be dropping them off at the Arlington Avenue lab immediately. I was standing there completely bewildered, holding four test tubes in my glove, thinking, "Wait, what?" Honestly, thank God my boyfriend happened to be with me; otherwise, I would have totally lost it. We just grabbed everything and sped off in the car. My referral specifically noted swabs and HPV typing underlined because the Pap results showed changes linked to HPV. The results were actually ready in seven days, and I didn't have to pay a dime—that was back in June of this year. They ran PCR tests for HPV, Chlamydia, bacteriology, plus Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma—everything came back negative except for the high-risk HPV

electricpanther17 said:So, I went to see my OB-GYN yesterday—one of those through my insurance provider—and she did a Pap smear. But since I dealt with HPV a few years back (thank God I cleared that, honestly), she suggested it would be a good idea to run tests for HPV, chlamydia, and a few other things too. She told me I’d need to swing by early tomorrow morning to get that sorted, and we can figure out the timing once the Pap results are actually in. Anyway, reading through these threads, I keep seeing people mention having to go pick up their own vials or test tubes, and then having to drop the samples off somewhere else after the swab. Is that just how it works with all the community health clinics, or do some of the CDC-affiliated centers just handle the samples themselves?
thanks

Well, if your doctor—whether they take insurance or you're paying out of pocket—doesn't have the testing kits or vials on hand, they'll tell you right away that you need to head down to the local health department to grab them. Usually, though, they'll just give them to you right there in the office, and then it's kind of on you to bring the samples back. 😉

goldenheron57 said:hey, so I called the microbiology lab over at Rockefeller Plaza and they told me I should just swing by Rockefeller Plaza 12 to pick up my test tubes—they even said I could get there as early as 7:30 AM! But then the woman on the phone mentioned they’re actually open every single day, not just Monday and Wednesday... so, wait, who told you it was only Monday and Wednesday?

I think it was Monday and Wednesday, starting early in the morning, over at the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center—I believe it's 6 Arlington Ave. 😉

Melissa Sullivan14 said:I believe it's Monday and Wednesday starting early at the Francis Mihaljevic Infectious Disease Center, 6 Arlington Ave. 😉

Actually, I think it's 16 Arlington Ave 😉

Amy Bailey39 said:I think it's 16 Arlington Ave 😉

Actually, it's 8 Arlington Ave. I've double-checked it myself. 😍

I’m probably going to head over to the Rockefeller Center office every single day starting at 7:30 AM. Honestly, when I called the Mayo Clinic earlier—and I actually tried calling them twice—they sounded completely lost. Like, they were just totally confused, giving me those "it might be possible, but maybe not" kind of answers. I guess they don't even really know their own protocols or if it's allowed or not, which is just... wow. God bless our healthcare system, I suppose.