Many of the HPV strains cause warts in the vaginal area and cervix (the opening to the uterus). Often these warts are too small to see, and they're generally harmless. But a few strains of the virus are more worrisome because they can actually damage the cells of the cervix and turn them cancerous.
More than 40 HPV types can infect the genital areas of men and women, including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), and anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, and rectum. These types can also infect the lining of the mouth and throat.
HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after getting an HPV infection. Cervical cancer usually develops over 10 or more years. There can be a long interval between being infected with HPV, the development of abnormal cells on the cervix and the development of cervical cancer.
Cervix: HPV and cancer symptoms
Depending on the type of HPV a female has, they will present with different symptoms. If they have low risk HPV, warts may develop on the cervix, causing irritation and pain. In some people, these warts could cause bleeding. High risk HPV usually presents with no initial symptoms.
Research has found that it can take 10 to 20 years, or even longer, for HPV-infected cervical cells to develop into a cancerous tumor. Among women whose cervical cells are infected with high-risk HPV, several factors increase the chance that the infection will be long lasting and lead to precancerous cervical cells.
Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.
HPV can cause cervical and other cancers, including cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer). This can include the base of the tongue and tonsils. Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV.
Treatment for HPV in the cervix
Options include freezing (cryosurgery), laser, surgical removal, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold knife conization.
HPV is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus, even if they don't have signs or symptoms.
High-risk HPV doesn't have symptoms
Unfortunately, most people who have a high-risk type of HPV will never show any signs of the infection until it's already caused serious health problems. That's why regular checkups are so important — testing is the only way to know for sure if you're at risk for cancer from HPV.
Unfortunately, once you have been infected with HPV, there is no treatment that can cure it or eliminate the virus from your system. A hysterectomy removes the cervix, which means that the risk of developing cervical cancer because of persistent HPV infection will essentially be eliminated.
If you test positive for HPV 16/18, you will need to have a colposcopy. If you test positive for HPV (but did not have genotyping performed or had genotyping and tested negative for 16/18), you will likely have a colposcopy.
A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.
HPV is a very common virus. In fact, about eight out of 10 women will have had HPV at some point in time by the age of 50. Myth: A regular Pap test is enough to protect women against cervical cancer. Fact: A Pap test alone is not enough to protect women against cervical cancer.
Infection with HPV that has progressed may cause cervical inflammation, which is usually a later sign of cervical cancer or precancer. It can also be the result of an infection due to other factors that could include: an allergy to spermicide or condom latex. a cervical cap or diaphragm.
HPV usually doesn't make you feel sick or cause any symptoms. Your immune system can fight off the infection before you ever know you have it, but you could still spread it to others before that happens. If you do get symptoms, the most common signs of HPV are genital warts.
Is HPV Contagious Forever? Most cases of HPV clear up on their own after one to two years, and you'll no longer be contagious once it leaves your system. However, the virus can remain dormant for years, and some people experience infections that stick around for much longer.
Does the cervix grow back after a LEEP procedure? Yes. During the four- to six-week recovery time, new healthy tissue grows on your cervix to replace the removed abnormal tissue. It's normal to feel nervous or even scared at the thought of having a LEEP.
In most cases, your body can produce antibodies against the virus and clear the virus within one to two years. Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment. Because of this, it isn't uncommon to contract and clear the virus completely without ever knowing that you had it.
Most of the abnormal cells found during a Pap test are the result of a cervical or vaginal infection and are not cancerous. Abnormal Pap tests are very common. In fact, of the 3 million women with abnormal Pap tests each year, less than 1% (13,240 cases) will be diagnosed with cervical cancer.
It's possible. In most cases, your immune system will eventually get rid of an HPV infection within 2 years. But HPV can stay in our bodies – sometimes without us knowing about it, as it is not detected with a test. This is called dormant or clinically insignificant HPV.
Most people clear the virus on their own in one to two years with little or no symptoms. But in some people the infection persists. The longer HPV persists the more likely it is to lead to cancer, including cancers of the cervix, penis, anus, mouth and throat.