A false-negative test result means you really do have an HPV infection, but the test indicates that you don't. This might cause a delay in appropriate follow-up tests or procedures.
An HPV test result can be positive or negative. The HPV test and the Pap test are screening tests that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early.
There is no sure way to know when you got HPV or who gave it to you. A person can have HPV for many years before it is detected.
In an HPV test, a sample is gathered from the cervix, but unlike in the Pap test, it doesn't have to be highly representative. And the sample is then extracted, processed, and read by a machine – taking human error out of the interpretation. With HPV tests, the false negative rate is only 5%.
The false negative rate of the HPV test in ASCUS/LSIL has been reported as 3.7% to 18.2% [14,15,16].
No screening test is 100% effective
an HPV infection or abnormal cells can sometimes be missed (a 'false negative' result) abnormal cells can develop and turn into cancer in between screening tests.
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms.
In fact, many women with HPV will never have an abnormal pap smear. That being said, routine screening with your provider is the only way to follow any changes to the cervix that could lead to cervical cancer.
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.
Yes, the HPV test is usually negative in cases of genital warts. As we mentioned above, in 90% of the cases genital warts are caused by low-risk types of HPV 6 and 11. The HPV test is only positive when there is an infection by oncogenic types of HPV.
These are: Low risk (HPV not detected): This means that no high-risk (cancer causing) HPV was found on your cervix. The chance of developing cervical cell changes that would need treatment in the next five years are very low. For that reason, you should wait for five years before having another cervical screening test.
Your test is either negative or positive. A negative HPV test means precisely that: no HPV was found. You can usually wait another five years until your next test. Positive or abnormal test results suggest that high-risk HPV, the more serious type, was found.
Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) and herpes are often confused as they can be sexually transmitted and cause genital lesions, however, they are caused by two different and unrelated viruses. Because of this, they cause slightly different symptoms and have different treatment options.
Cervical cell changes happen slowly. 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.
Other things can cause cells to look abnormal, including irritation, some infections (such as a yeast infection), growths (such as polyps in the uterus), and changes in hormones that occur during pregnancy or menopause. Although these things may make cervical cells look abnormal, they are not related to cancer.
Researchers now know that 90% of Pap smears with results that are classified as LSIL and 70% of Pap smears that are HSIL will become normal once your body's defense system has cleared the HPV virus.
The most common reason for a negative Pap test with a positive HPV result is that the patient has an HPV infection, but the infection is not causing any cellular abnormalities. Cellular abnormalities caused by HPV can be quite focal on the cervix, while the HPV infection can be more widespread.
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.
HPV can stay in the body for 10-20 years. Finding out you have HPV doesn't mean you or your partner have been unfaithful. It's your decision whether or not to tell your partner you have HPV.
You can have HPV without having any symptoms. HPV strains that cause genital warts can take approximately one to eight months to develop. Most warts appear as small, flat, flesh-coloured or cauliflower-like bumps.
Negative HPV test or cotest (HPV plus Pap test) results only reduce risk sufficiently to defer colposcopy if performed for screening purposes within the last 5 years. Colposcopy is still warranted if negative HPV test or cotest results occurred in the context of surveillance for a prior abnormal result.
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.
But women's risk for HPV is not over yet: There is sometimes a second peak around the age of menopause. Why? A study released early in 2013 of women 35 to 60 years old found that HPV in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago.