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.
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.
Pap tests, sometimes called Pap smears, look for abnormal cells on your cervix that can possibly lead to cervical cancer. Pap tests find cell changes caused by high-risk HPV, but they don't test for HPV itself. After your doctor sends your Pap test to the lab, the results will come back as “normal” or “abnormal.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pap smears only screen for cancer — they can't diagnose it. To get more information to help diagnose or rule out cervical cancer, your provider does a colposcopy.
An abnormal pap smear may suggest HPV or precancerous tissue changes of the cervix. Your doctor or care provider may recommend a procedure called colposcopy, which uses a microscope to carefully examine the cervix for abnormal cellular patterns. A cervical biopsy is often performed to make a diagnosis of HPV.
HPV infection spreads from one person to another through sexual contact involving the anus, mouth, or vagina. The virus can be spread, even if you DO NOT see the warts. You may not see warts for 6 weeks to 6 months after becoming infected. You may not notice them for years.
Most abnormal Pap tests are caused by HPV infections. Other types of infection—such as those caused by bacteria, yeast, or protozoa (Trichomonas)—sometimes lead to minor changes on a Pap test called atypical squamous cells.
A Pap test can be normal (or “negative”), unclear, abnormal, or unsatisfactory. In contrast, an HPV test can be negative or positive. Even if a Pap test is negative, you still need a Pap exam every three years, as it's possible for the cells in your cervix to change.
Most cases of HPV are asymptomatic, meaning you will not have any noticeable signs or symptoms. For those who do experience symptoms, they may include: Genital warts (a bump or group of bumps in the genital area) Cervical dysplasia (the presence of abnormal precancerous cells on the cervix)
Almost all cervical cancers are thought to be caused by HPV infections. While there are often no signs of early cervical cancer, some signs may include: Increased vaginal discharge, which may be pale, watery, pink, brown, bloody, or foul-smelling.
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.
To help ensure the most accurate results from a Pap smear, avoid the following two days prior to your test: Using tampons. Having sexual intercourse. Using vaginal creams, sprays or powders.
The Pap test is helpful in detecting cervical cancer. It is less accurate for finding cancer of the body of the uterus. It also does not usually find cancer of the fallopian tubes, or the ovaries.
The Pap test (also called a Pap smear) checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cells, or cancer.
Your immune system usually gets rid of HPV by itself. For 9 in 10 of us, this happens within 2 years. Sometimes, HPV will remain in your body and it might cause cells to change. Changed cells may turn into cervical cancer over time if they persist and are not monitored or treated.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) symptoms in women. HPV often causes no symptoms, but it can lead to warts on the genitals. In females, this includes the cervix, vulvar, and vagina, as well as the anus. It can also increase the risk of throat cancer in males and females.
Although most HPV infections go away within two years, some will not. HPV infections that do not go away can "hide" in the body for years and not be detected. That's why it is impossible to know exactly when someone got infected, how long they've been infected, or who passed the infection to them.
A person may have HPV for many years before it causes health problems. If you or your partner receive a diagnosis of a disease from HPV, there is no way to know: How long you have had HPV; Whether your partner gave you HPV; or.
You're contagious for as long as you have the virus — regardless of whether or not you have symptoms. For example, even if your genital warts have disappeared, you can still spread the HPV that caused them if the virus is still in your body. Once your immune system destroys the virus, you're no longer contagious.
Your doctor collects a sample of cells from your cervix or vagina to send for laboratory analysis. Pap tests can reveal abnormalities that can lead to cancer. DNA test. This test, conducted on cells from your cervix, can recognize the DNA of the high-risk varieties of HPV that have been linked to genital cancers.
Symptoms of human papillomavirus (HPV)
HPV does not usually cause any symptoms. Most people who have it do not realise and do not have any problems. But sometimes the virus can cause painless growths or lumps around your vagina, penis or anus (genital warts).