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Can You Get Pregnant with Mild Cervical Dysplasia?

When abnormal cells are detected during a routine pap smear, you may be diagnosed with cervical dysplasia. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, 66 percent of women with cervical dysplasia with develop cervical cancer within 10 years. Women with mild cervical dysplasia can get pregnant, but it's important to know possible side effects and treatment options.

  1. Identification

    • Cervical dysplasia is indicated when a pap smear detects the presence of abnormal cells in the cervix. These cells could be cancerous or pre-cancerous. The Mayo Clinic says that may cases of cervical dysplasia are caused by the presence of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are associated with sexual activity.

    Pregnancy and Cervical Dysplasia

    • Women with mild cervical dysplasia can get pregnant, and oftentimes lead a normal, healthy pregnancy. Sometimes, though, cases of cervical dysplasia can advance during pregnancy. To monitor cervical dysplasia during pregnancy, health care providers use pap smears and colposcopy. During this procedure, a physician uses a viewing tube with a magnifying lens and monitors and examines abnormal growth in the cervix. Also, the University of Maryland Medical Center says that a biopsy to further diagnose cervical dysplasia is safe during pregnancy.

    Side Effects

    • Oftentimes, women with cervical dysplasia don't experience side effects. During pregnancy, symptoms of cervical dysplasia could increase. Symptoms include genital warts, abnormal bleeding, vaginal discharge, spotting after intercourse and low back pain.

    Treatments

    • With mild cervical dysplasia, treatment is usually deferred until after delivery. Low-grade or mild cervical dysplasia may also clear up on its own through the body's own immune response, so treatment might not be necessary at all.

    Warning

    • Treating cervical dysplasia with cervical conization could adversely affect future fertility. During a cervical conization procedure, a small, cone-shaped piece of abnormal tissue is taken from the cervix. Speak with your health care provider to see if the benefits from this procedure outweigh the possible risks on your future fertility.

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