Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection (2024)

FAQs

Can I get rid of HPV virus? ›

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.

Some HPV infections cause lesions on your tongue, tonsils, soft palate, or within your larynx and nose. Cancer. Certain strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer. These strains might also contribute to cancers of the genitals, anus, mouth and upper respiratory tract.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection. 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.

You'll be invited for screening in 1 year and again 1 year later if you still have HPV. If you still have HPV after 2 years, you'll be asked to have a colposcopy. You'll be asked to have a colposcopy.

HPV Very Rarely Becomes Cervical Cancer

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.

Positive HPV test, normal pap

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.

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.

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.

Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment. Because of this, it isn't uncommon to contract and clear the virus completely without ever knowing that you had it. HPV doesn't always cause symptoms, so the only way to be sure of your status is through regular testing. HPV screening for men isn't available.

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.

Why did I get HPV? ›

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.

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.

Testing positive for an STD like HPV, although an upsetting circ*mstance, doesn't always mean you need to panic. In fact, catching it early enough can lead to early prevention and treatment of other serious medical issues like cervical cancer.

A diet that is high in antioxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids and folate – all of which are found in fruits and vegetables – can help the body fight off HPV and also prevent an HPV infection from transforming cervical cells into cancerous lesions.

Myth: A man can't give a woman HPV.

Fact: A man can transmit HPV to a woman through intimate skin to skin contact, as well as contact with genital warts or within sem*n during vagin*l sex. And remember, HPV can cause cervical cancer in women.

In most cases, your body gets rid of HPV within 2 years. But sometimes it can stay in our bodies for longer without causing any problems or showing up with a test. This is called 'dormant' or 'clinically insignificant' HPV. This HPV can become active again.

There's no sure way to prevent infection with the different types of HPV. But there are things people can do to lower their chances of being infected and to protect children from getting HPV-related cancers as adults. The best way to prevent HPV, and future diseases due to HPV, is to get vaccinated.

More than half of men who are sexually active in the U.S. will have HPV at some time in their life. Often, men will clear the virus on their own, with no health problems.

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.