There's no cure for HPV, no matter what gender you are. However, with regular testing, your nurse or doctor can find abnormal cells in your cervix and treat them before they turn into cancer. And most HPV infections go away on their own and don't cause any serious health problems.
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.
There are no treatments to get rid of HPV infection. In most people, the immune system will get rid of the virus naturally. If you find out you have HPV through cervical or anal screening tests, you may be offered ongoing screening.
Vitamins C and D, zinc, and Echinacea have evidence-based efficacy on the immune system.
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.
High-risk HPV can cause cervical cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer, and cancers of the mouth and throat. It's also a great idea to get the HPV vaccine. Getting the HPV vaccine can help prevent certain types of cancer and genital warts.
HPV goes away on its own and doesn't cause health problems in many people. For most people who have a healthy immune system, HPV will clear itself within one to two years.
It might be affected by your immune system — some people's bodies find it easier to fight HPV than others. They also think some lifestyle habits, like smoking, can make it hard for your body to clear HPV. It is important to remember that cervical screening can help find high-risk HPV and cell changes early.
More than 90 percent of all new HPV infections go away or become undetectable within two years, even without treatment. Yet some HPV infections can stay in the body and lead to complications, including genital warts.
More than 90 percent of sexually active men and 80 percent of sexually active women will be infected with HPV in their lifetime. Around 50 percent of HPV infections involve certain high-risk types of HPV, which can cause cancer.
If you still have HPV after 3 years, you may need to have a colposcopy. You'll be asked to have a colposcopy. Information: HPV is a common virus and most people will get it at some point.
Although most people clear HPV within 2 years, the virus can stay in your body for many years – even decades – without causing any problems. That means you may never know you had it. In some people, HPV can show up on your cervical screening results or start to cause problems years later.
Many, many people live with persistent HPV, but it doesn't mean they will ever get cancer. Once you have the virus, you will always have it although keeping your immune system as strong as possible with a healthy diet etc can make it dormant, where it would not show on an HPV test.
If you test positive for HPV and your Pap test is normal, your doctor will most likely recommend that you repeat the Pap and HPV screening exams in one year.
HPV can lie dormant for years
Although the virus often heals on its own, in other cases, it lies dormant in the body and can trigger cancers years after infection. In fact, cervical cancer from HPV commonly takes 10 to 20 years or more to develop.
85% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime. Almost every unvaccinated person who is sexually active will get HPV at some time in their life. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. Most HPV infections will go away on their own.
Don't panic.
In most cases, your body is able to fight HPV on its own, and the virus will go away without causing any health problems in one or two years.
If you're over 30, your body can still clear HPV, but it's less likely at this point. Your doctor may want to perform more testing, like a Pap (if you didn't get one with your HPV test) to see if you also have abnormal cervical cell changes in addition to a positive HPV test.
If I've had HPV once can I get it again? There are over a hundred different types, or strains, of HPV and around 13 of these are linked to cancer. So it's possible to have multiple infections and you might have different strains of HPV over the years that are picked up at cervical screening.
The longer answer: Most people's immune systems clear HPV out of their bodies within one to three years. But if the virus lingers for a long time, it can become a part of your DNA, and then potentially cause cancer several decades later. (HPV can find its way into almost every chromosome.)
HPV found with no cell changes - means you have high-risk HPV, but you do not have changes to your cervical cells. So you will be invited for cervical screening sooner to check that the HPV has gone. This usually after a year.
HPV vaccination of people in this age range provides less benefit, for several reasons, including that more people in this age range have already been exposed to HPV. For adults ages 27 through 45 years, clinicians can consider discussing HPV vaccination with people who are most likely to benefit.
High levels of stress, whether real or perceived, also may make it difficult for the body's natural immune response to kick in and get rid of infection. However, it's also important to note that HPV tests can be dormant for a while, and then show as positive during a highly stressful period of a woman's life.