Pregnant Jamie Otis Reveals She Has Been Diagnosed with HPV: 'Could Be a Sign of Early Cancer'
Jamie Otis is staying optimistic amid a recent diagnosis.
The Married at First Sight star, who is 17 weeks pregnant with her second child, opened up to her followers on Wednesday about testing positive for human papillomavirus (HPV).
“I went to the doc and heard my pap was bad & I have HPV,” she wrote on Instagram. “Although it sounds like an STD and I should freak the F out, I know this is somewhat common and not to be overly worried about. I was scheduled to have a colposcopy just to take a better look at the skin cells in my vagina.😳”
“Also, not really a big deal as long as the doc doesn’t see dysplasia … if she does then it could be a sign of early cancer.😱,” added Otis, 33. “Buuut, I got the call today saying that my doc did see dysplasia & since I’m pregnant, we will have to wait to biopsy my cervix until after I have the baby.”
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the Unites States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dysplasia is an abnormal growth or development of cells within tissues or organs (in Otis’ case, within her cervix). The growth can be precancerous, though it is often treatable, Mayo Clinic reports.
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A post shared by J a m i e O t i s 🤰🏼✨ (@jamienotis) on Dec 4, 2019 at 4:47pm PST
The reality star admitted in her Instagram caption that her head has “been all over the place” after receiving the news. However, she also said she has been staying positive.
“I just have to wait until after I have the baby to really know what’s going on inside me, but I’m just putting the positive vibes out there & praying & being so THANKFUL for my health.🙏🏻,” Otis wrote.
She continued, “I couldn’t help but think about all the women who are pregnant and find out super scary news like they actually do have cancer or a fatal disease and they’re left with the tough decision: treat yourself while pregnant to save your life but risk losing the baby OR take your chances and postpone treatment to save your baby.😩”
“I cannot even imagine having to make that decision.😢,” the soon-to-be mother of two added. “My heart goes out to those mamas. If you’re one of them, I’m sending you SO MUCH LOVE.💗”
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Otis and her husband, Doug Hehner, recently held a “gender reveal party” for their child on the way. The second-time parents-to-be will be welcoming a baby boy into their family next year.
“Doug instantly cried tears of joy. Our first baby was a boy, but we lost him at 17 weeks. Of course he loves our daughter, but he’s wanted a baby boy so badly for so long. This is truly an answered prayer for us,” Otis told PEOPLE last month.
She and Hehner, 35, are also parents to 2-year-old daughter Henley Grace, who had an extra fun time at the reveal, which consisted of smashing eggs on each other’s heads.
“During our ‘gender reveal’ she was loving cracking the eggs on our heads, but the one that ends up being the [sex] she handed to me and said, ‘I don’t want to smash it, Mommy.’ We have a lot of work to get her excited for her little brother,” Otis said with a laugh.
