Here's my situation: I've had yearly pap smears since I was 17 and have
never had one come back abnormal until now. This year's came back
reflecting 'mild dysplasia' per the nurse practitioner who called me.
I'm going in for a more indepth exam using a microscope of some sort.
The nurse said that this isn't a big deal, I shouldn't be worried
because it's very mild. I've had a few female friends and my mother
who've had one or more abnormal paps in the past but never ended up
having anything wrong - no cervical cancer, herpes or otherwise. After
reading on the net, I'm starting to get worried about the results
despite knowing this has happened to my friends.

I've been reading online about this topic and I'm really confused about
the association to cervical cancer and HPV. I've always thought of HPV
in the context of Herpes Simplex 2 (genital warts and other symptoms)
but then I see posts where HPV is described outside of this context,
perhaps not sexually transmitted and possibly cancer causing. Also, I
see posts about symptoms and risks about cervical cancer outside of the
HPV context. Lastly, I can't really get a firm grasp of what 'mild
dysplasia' actually means.

Outside of somewhat frequent yeast infections and UTIs, I haven't had
any gynocological issues. I have always had the yeast infections and
UTIs diagnosed via tests, so I don't think it's me mistaking the
symptoms for something else (like HS2). My family has lots of cancer in
our history, but not cervical. Anyway, I'm somewhat scared and my test
isn't for awhile, so I'm looking for some actual facts on the situation
to help me better understand the possibilities.

Please advise if you have input.

Thanks!