The HPV virus does not travel to other parts of the body, so a genital infection does not automatically mean an oral infection.
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.
The route of HPV transmission is primarily through skin-to-skin or skin-to-mucosa contact. Sexual transmission is the most documented, but there have been studies suggesting non-sexual courses. The horizontal transfer of HPV includes fomites, fingers, and mouth, skin contact (other than sexual).
There are more than 150 types or "strains" of HPV. Most HPV infections do not cause symptoms or health problems, so you may not know if you have the virus. However, some types of HPV cause cancer or abnormal growths that can turn into cancer. These growths are called precancerous lesions.
Precancerous lesions at other sites in the body may cause symptoms like itching or bleeding. And if an HPV infection develops into cancer, the cancer may cause symptoms like bleeding, pain, or swollen glands. Learn more about signs and symptoms of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.
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.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.
If left untreated, some strains of HPV can cause cellular changes in your body that lead to cancer. The most common type of cancer linked to HPV is cervical cancer, but HPV infection can also cause cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, or back of the throat. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
Patients with HPV-unrelated tumors experienced significantly higher levels of fatigue over the course of the study (p=0.0097, Table 2), especially at pre-IMRT (p=0.001) and three-month post-IMRT (p=0.002), compared to those with HPV-related tumors (Figure 1a).
It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.
HPV is a very common STI. Among 15- to 59-year-olds, 2 in 5 (40%) people will have HPV. There are many different types of HPV; most do not cause any health problems. HPV is a different virus than HIV or (HSV) herpes.
HPV is passed through skin-to-skin contact, not through bodily fluids. Sharing drinks, utensils, and other items with saliva is very unlikely to transmit the virus.
– unlike STIs like chlamydia, it is unlikely that you will pass the same strain of HPV back and forth with your partner. Once you have been infected with a type of HPV and your immune system has produced antibodies to fight the infection, you will become immune to that type.
If your doctor diagnoses HPV your sexual partners must be examined. This is especially important for women, as HPV is very contagious and can be spread even when no warts are visible.
Clinicians can reassure their patients that HPV transmission is unlikely to occur through hand-to-genital contact. The majority of genital HPV infections are likely caused by genital-to-genital sexual transmission.
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.
Q: How long after exposure does it usually take for something to be detectable? A: Changes consistent with HPV can usually be detected within 3-6 months after exposure to the infection.
Anyone who has had sex can get HPV, even if it was only with only one person, but infections are more likely in people who have had many sex partners. Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed.
HPV Very Rarely Becomes Cervical Cancer
For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.
If the HPV test is positive, you may need additional follow-up tests. Atypical glandular cells (AGC): Some glandular cells were found that do not look normal. This can be a sign of a more serious problem up inside the uterus, so your healthcare provider will likely ask you to come back for a colposcopy.