Jamie Otis, 34, reveals how doctors discovered “high risk, abnormal tissues” in her body during a postpartum checkup.
Otis, who welcomed son Hendrix Douglas with husband Doug Hehner in May, revealed the news on her Instagram next to a video of herself at the doctor’s office after going through colposcopy and biopsy of her cervix.
“I have HPV,” she captioned the clip, which was set to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”
“I found out when I was in my first trimester of pregnancy & had an ‘abnormal’ pap.????????They told me I’d have to wait until my 6 week check up after delivery to investigate further so I didn’t risk losing my baby,” she wrote.
“I have two friends who told me they were diagnosed with HPV during pregnancy too. One said it went away completely after giving birth. The other may need a hysterectomy….”
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“I was kinda hoping I’d be like my first friend & it’d be gone after delivery, but at my 6 week check up I had another pap. It came back abnormal with ‘high risk’ cells,” Otis continued.
When Otis finished her biopsy, a doctor told her that she’ll likely “need the LEEP procedure bc she could see the high risk, abnormal tissues,” the reality star said.
Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is usually performed on patients with cervical or vaginal problems or when abnormal cells are found during a Pap test, according to John Hopkins Medicine. In addition, the procedure can also be used to detect cancer of the cervix or vagina.
Otis reveals that she feels “so fortunate to have caught this early.”
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“These ‘abnormal’ cells are what turn into full blown cancer,” she wrote. “Luckily for me, I got pregnant and they made me have a pap. Otherwise who knows when I would’ve had one. I didn’t always get my routine check ups bc I was so “busy.’ “
The mother of two also shares her 2-year-old daughter, Henley Grace, with her husband.
“Don’t let life get too ‘busy’ to get your check ups. I believe in my heart I’ll be perfectly fine, but man! To think if I hadn’t gotten pregnant these high risk cells would just be hanging out spreading inside me and I wouldn’t know any better bc there are no signs or symptoms,” she wrote.
“Sooo, yeah, if you are due for your check up go get your pap!????????”
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