HPV spreads through sexual contact and is very common in young people — frequently, the test results will be positive. However, HPV infections often clear on their own within a year or two.
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.
With HPV it can be very difficult to pinpoint when you were exposed, because it's possible that the virus was in your system for a long time before it was detected. People often never know they have caught it or passed it on. “HPV could've been there for years before it shows up, if it ever does,” says Ramondetta.
Testing positive for HPV more than once
If you test positive for high-risk HPV but you don't have cell changes on your cervix, you'll be asked to come back for a cervical screening in one year. If you test positive for HPV three times in a row you'll be invited to a colposcopy.
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.
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.
How did I get HPV? HPV is a sexually-acquired virus. Even if you were to have sex with a single partner in your life, using condoms every time, there is an 80% chance you will acquire HPV in your lifetime. HPV can be spread by contact between genital skin, so LGBQTI people can also get the virus.
Why can't everyone get rid of HPV? We don't know exactly why. Scientists think it might be to do with the type of high-risk HPV that someone has. It might be affected by your immune system — some people's bodies find it easier to fight HPV than others.
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.
While HPV doesn't come back after clearing completely, it's difficult to know if an infection has actually been resolved or is simply dormant. Additionally, while you're unlikely to be reinfected with the exact same type of HPV, you can be infected with another strain.
Because HPV is common and often goes away on its own, it's not always necessary to test for it.
If HPV negative, do routine screening. If HPV positive, do PAP + HPV in 1 year or genotype, then manage per ASCCP guidelines. After hysterectomy for benign causes, women need not undergo routine Pap smears unless symptomatic, history of "SIL," or has associated risk factors as above.
HPV can go away on its own. In most cases—about 90%—your immune system will “clear” an HPV infection within two years (Best, 2013). This means that the virus is no longer present, will not cause symptoms, and you cannot spread it to other people.
Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it. Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.
While HPV does cause cervical cancer, the risk of developing cervical cancer from the virus is still quite low. For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years.
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.
Sometimes HPV infections can cause minor changes or abnormalities in the cells. For many women, their body will clear the HPV infection but other times the infection may progress. If left undetected, HPV infection can sometimes progress and cause cells to become highly abnormal.
There is currently no cure for an existing HPV infection, but for most people it would be cleared by their own immune system and there are treatments available for the symptoms it can cause. You can also get the HPV vaccine to protect yourself against new infections of HPV which can cause genital warts or cancer.
Should a person stop dating if they have HPV? A person can continue to date if they have HPV. If people know they have HPV, they may want to date a person for a while before engaging in sexual activity. This can give people the chance to get to know one another better before discussing HPV.
Sex partners who have been together tend to share HPV, even when both partners do not show signs of HPV. Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship. There is no treatment to eliminate HPV itself. HPV is usually dealt with by your body's immune system.
Partners who are sexually intimate only with each other are not likely to pass the same virus back and forth. When HPV infection goes away the immune system will remember that HPV type and keep a new infection of the same HPV type from occurring again.
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.
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.
Other factors that may contribute to or help trigger a recurrence of HPV include the use of certain medications that can impair the immune system (e.g., immunosuppression drugs), serious illness, surgery, or HIV infection. The truth is, experts are still not entirely clear about recurrence of HPV.