Can you have a normal Pap smear and high risk HPV?

Some women for whom we test for HPV will have a normal pap smear, but have a positive high risk HPV result. This is particularly confusing because they may have never had an abnormal pap smear, and they may never even develop one.

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How often should I get a Pap smear if I have high risk HPV?

Updated cervical cancer screening guidelines from ACS recommend starting screening at age 25 with an HPV test and having HPV testing every 5 years through age 65. However, testing with an HPV/Pap cotest every 5 years or with a Pap test every 3 years is still acceptable.

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Can you have high risk HPV and no cell changes?

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.

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How worried should I be about high risk HPV?

High-risk HPV infections that persist can cause cancer: Sometimes HPV infections are not successfully controlled by your immune system. When a high-risk HPV infection persists for many years, it can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may get worse over time and become cancer.

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Can you have high risk HPV and not get cancer?

Myth: If you have HPV, you will probably get cervical cancer. Fact: HPV is very common. But cervical cancer is not. The truth is that having HPV does not mean you have or will get cervical cancer.

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HPV test may be better than Pap smears at detecting early cervical cancer: Study

29 related questions found

Do you have high risk HPV for life?

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.

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Can you live a normal life with high risk HPV?

If you've been diagnosed with HPV, you can still lead a relatively normal life. However, you need to protect yourself and any other sexual partners you have as you do so: Use condoms: Using condoms when having sex is essential to reduce the risk of transmitting HPV.

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What to do if you test positive for high risk HPV?

If you got a positive HPV test and your Pap test was abnormal, your doctor will probably follow up with a colposcopy. Try to see a physician who specializes in this procedure. During a colposcopy, your doctor will look more closely at the cervix, vagina or vulva with a special microscope called a colposcope.

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What if I've had HPV for 3 years?

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.

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Why does my HPV test say high risk?

Higher risk: Your test results show either HPV infection with types 16 and/or 18, high grade cell changes on your cervix, or persistent infection with one of the other high-risk HPV types (not 16/18). It is important that you have a further follow-up because you may be at a high risk of developing cervical cancer.

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Is high risk HPV harder to clear?

“Studies have shown that more than 90 percent of new HPV infections, including those with high-risk types, clear or become undetectable within two years, and clearance usually occurs in the first six months after infection,” says the CDC.

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Why is my body not clearing HPV?

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.

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Is it harder to get rid of high risk HPV?

Most HPV types are low risk. High-risk HPV is linked to some cancers. It is important to remember that if you have any type of HPV, including high-risk HPV, your body will usually get rid of it without any problems.

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How long does it take for high risk HPV to cause abnormal cells?

It can take many years for cells infected with HPV to develop into cervical cancer. We have great tools to prevent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer. Better screening tests mean less frequent screening.

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How quickly does high risk HPV show up?

Genital warts may appear within weeks or months after contact with a partner who has HPV. The warts may also show up years after exposure, but this is rare. The warts usually look like small bumps or groups of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower.

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How long can you have HPV before abnormal Pap?

HPV may have been contracted a long time ago. The infection could have been lying dormant for a long time. Furthermore, it can take years for an HPV infection to cause abnormalities in the cervical cells that are detectable during a pap smear.

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Why have I had HPV for 5 years?

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.

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Can stress cause HPV to flare up?

Those who said they were depressed or believed they had high levels of stress also still had an active HPV infection. HPV usually clears up on its own, but this study is really the first to indicate a link between stress and persistent HPV infection.

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Can you have HPV for 15 years and not know?

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.

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Should I panic if I have HPV?

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.

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Does HPV get worse as you age?

The reactivation risk may increase around age 50. This is dangerous because of HPV's link to head and neck, cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile and anal cancer. It is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US. The findings may mean that women need to continue routine screening after age 40.

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How common is high risk HPV?

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.

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How many people clear high risk HPV?

Most people infected with HPV show no symptoms and can unknowingly transmit the virus to their sexual partners. In 90 percent of cases, the body's immune system clears the infection on its own within two years.

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Can high risk HPV go away after 5 years?

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.

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Should I get a hysterectomy if I have 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.

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