What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that can affect different parts of your body. There are over 100 types of HPV, including strains of HPV that cause warts on your hands, feet, face, etc. About 30 HPV strains can affect your genitals, including your vulva, vagin*, cervix, penis and scrotum, as well as your rectum and anus.
HPV that affects your genitals is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that gets passed through skin-to-skin contact. Many people cringe at the thought of STIs, but the majority of genital HPV strains are harmless. This includes the type of HPV that causes genital warts.
Some strains of HPV are high-risk and can lead to cancers, like cervical cancer. Early detection and treatment can usually prevent this from happening.
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Are all warts HPV?
Yes. And this can be confusing — especially when you’re trying to understand the difference between the HPV that causes the wart on your finger or genitals and the HPV that may lead to cervical cancer.
The HPV strains that cause warts, including genital warts, are nuisances. After all, no one wants warts, least of all on their genitals. Still, these types of HPV are harmless. HPV types 6 and 11 most often cause genital warts. Other types of HPV cause:
- Flat warts.
- Plantar warts.
- Common warts.
- Periungal and subungual warts.
All warts are caused by HPV, but not all forms of HPV cause warts. The type of HPV that can progress to cancer doesn’t cause warts.
How is HPV related to cervical cancer?
Certain strains of HPV (most often types 16 and 18) can cause changes in the cells of your cervix, a condition called cervical dysplasia. Your cervix is the opening between your vagin* and your uterus. Left untreated, cervical dysplasia sometimes advances to cervical cancer.
If you’re under 30, most HPV infections clear up on their own. By age 30, finding HPV during a Pap smear (a test that screens for cervical cancer) can determine how often you should get tested. If you test positive, you may be at a higher risk and need more frequent testing.
Getting regular Paps to screen for cervical cancer is important. But it’s important to remember that just because you have HPV or cervical dysplasia doesn’t mean you’ll get cancer.
Who does HPV affect?
Anyone can become infected with HPV if they have sex or close skin-to-skin genital contact with a partner with the virus. Similarly, anyone with the virus can spread it to their partner during intercourse, oral sex, anal sex or other close genital contact.
HPV in women
In general, HPV poses the greatest risk to women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) because high-risk HPV can progress to cervical cancer if it’s not treated. Pap smears and HPV tests can detect precancerous cell changes early to prevent cancer in your cervix. Harmless forms of HPV can also cause genital warts in women and people AFAB.
HPV in men
HPV poses fewer health risks to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB). If you’re AMAB, HPV can cause genital warts, but most infections clear on their own. HPV can lead to cancers of your penis, anus, head and neck, but these cancers are rare. As a result, HPV tests and Pap tests aren’t generally recommended for people who are AMAB.
Still, if you’re HIV positive, your immune system may have a harder time fighting HPV infections. If you’re a person with a penis who has sex with other people with penises (MSM), you may be at greater risk of contracting high-risk HPV strains that can progress to cancer. In this case, your provider may recommend an anal Pap test. Anal Pap tests don’t test for HPV, but they can test for cell changes that may lead to cancer. Ask your healthcare provider if you should get tested.
Regardless of your reproductive anatomy, it’s important to prevent the spread of HPV by getting vaccinated and by practicing safer sex.
How common is HPV?
HPV is the most common STI in the United States. Roughly 14 million people become infected each year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV is so common that most sexually active people who aren’t vaccinated against HPV will become infected at some point in their lives. Most never know they have the virus.
FAQs
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. About 80% of women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lifetime. It is usually spread through vagin*l, oral, or anal sex.
How do you get HPV infections? ›
HPV is easily spread from sexual skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it. You get it when your vulva, vagin*, cervix, penis, or anus touches someone else's genitals or mouth and throat — usually during sex. HPV can be spread even if no one c*ms, and even if a penis doesn't go inside the vagin*/anus/mouth.
How to clear an HPV infection? ›
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.
Can HPV go away? ›
Most HPV infections (9 out of 10) go away by themselves within 2 years. But sometimes, HPV infections will last longer and can cause some cancers. HPV infections can cause cancers of the: Cervix, vagin*, and vulva.
Is HPV an STD? ›
HPV that affects your genitals is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that gets passed through skin-to-skin contact. Many people cringe at the thought of STIs, but the majority of genital HPV strains are harmless. This includes the type of HPV that causes genital warts.
How did I suddenly get HPV? ›
Most (80%) of unvaccinated adults will pick up HPV at some point in their life. In most people it causes no symptoms (you won't know you have it) so it is therefore unavoidably shared mainly through sexual (including oral) skin-to-skin contact.
How long is HPV contagious? ›
That means it can spread to someone else through sex or close sexual contact and cause warts in that person. It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.
What to do if a girl has HPV? ›
If you test positive for HPV and your Pap test is normal, your doctor will most likely recommend repeating the Pap and HPV screening exams in one year. If your second HPV test comes back negative, continue regular Pap and HPV tests. If your second HPV test comes back positive, your doctor may recommend a colposcopy.
What happens if you test positive for HPV? ›
A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.
Is HPV serious? ›
HPV infections can cause certain cancers in men and women. Talk to your child's doctor about getting HPV vaccine to prevent HPV infections. HPV can cause cancers of the: Cervix, vagin*, and vulva in women.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 are essential vitamins for multiple functions in the body, and accumulating evidence suggests their importance in maintaining a high degree of methylation of the HPV genome, thus decreasing the likelihood of causing malignant lesions.
What kills HPV naturally? ›
There are currently no medical or natural treatments for the virus, but its symptoms are treatable. If you have HPV, it's important to practice safe sex methods to prevent transmission.
Should I tell my partner I have HPV? ›
It's your decision whether or not to tell your partner you have HPV. If you do decide to tell your partner you have HPV, it might help to include these points: HPV is very common in women and men who have ever had sex - four out of five people will have HPV at some point in their lives, and most won't even know it.
What happens if HPV is left untreated? ›
HPV infection that does not go away on its own can cause changes to cervical cells, which lead to precancers that may become cervical cancer if left untreated. It usually takes 15–20 years for cervical cancer to develop after HPV infection.
How does your body feel when you have HPV? ›
Most people with HPV — no matter what their gender is — don't have any symptoms. Sometimes HPV can cause warts on your penis or vulva and around your anus. Genital warts can cause irritation and discomfort, and you can pass the HPV that caused them to other people.
What is mistaken for HPV? ›
There are more than 100 different types of HPV and only two types of herpes: HSV1 -usually affecting the mouth and lips causing cold sores, and HSV-2 usually affecting the genitals. Both viruses can cause STIs (sexually transmitted infections), and they sometimes get confused.
What does HPV look like on a woman? ›
Signs of HPV
The most common are small, hard sores called warts, but not everyone who has HPV gets them. They may be raised, flat, or shaped like a cauliflower, and they can be different sizes. They can show up on your genital area or other places, depending on the type of the virus you have.
How can I check myself for HPV? ›
Screening for HPV with Everlywell is straightforward and easy. Order your kit online, register it on Everlywell's website, and collect your sample from the privacy of your home. This HPV test uses a vagin*l swab sample to test for 14 high-risk strains of HPV.
