ask: Can HPV go away on its own?
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Anonymous
April 13, 2009 - 1:08pm
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I was just diagnosed as being positive for HPV and will have a culposcopy in a few days. I've done some research and have read that once you have HPV that it will never go away. But I asked the nurse at my doctor's office and she said that in some cases, the HPV will just go away and your body will recover on its own. If that's the case, how often does that occur? What are my chances that my HPV will just eventually go away?
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Hi Anon
Thanks for your question!
Your chances are pretty good that HPV will go away on it's own. Most cases do. Others can, unfortunately, lead to cervical cancer, which is why annual pap tests and HPV tests are very important. And reinfection is also an issue.
A culposcopy is very like a pap test. You will be in the same position and it may be a little uncomfortable, like a pap test but the discomfort of that exam chair is often more emotional for us, rather than physical. No-one likes those stirrups!
The exam will be to examine the abnormal cells that the HPV has caused. Your doctor will use a kind of medical microscope to do this (called a culposcope, hence the name "culposcopy) .
After this exam (which will only take about 10 minutes) she and you can decide what do to next - based on the level of cell dysplasia you have.
You may elect to have the cells frozen off, which is usually quite successful or you may elect to have further pap tests (usually every 3-6 months) for a couple of years, until you become negative again.
Most experts believe that up to 90% of cases will clear up on their own within 24 months of infection. Do you know when you were infected? But just remember that it will always be in your system (like many viruses) you just won't have any symptoms.
Until then, make sure you are very careful when with a new partner (if that is the case) and remember that it is spread via skin-to-skin contact so condoms do not offer the same kind of protection that they do for other STDs/STIs. You will be able to transmit the virus.
Are you under the age of 26? You can ask your doctor about the HPV vaccine. I am not sure if you can, based on the fact that you currently have HPV but she can help you further. Some women want the vaccine, some do not. Research your options carefully.
Your chances of this clearing up are good! Keep being proactive and keep up the testing. A healthy diet and healthy immune system will be your best friend.
And keep up posted - good luck with your exam next week. Make sure your doctor fully explains your cell changes and your game plan for recovery.
April 13, 2009 - 1:36pmThis Comment
Hi,
March 25, 2010 - 5:58pmI am 21 yrs old and last week my pap smear result came abnormal and I was HPV positive. I was shocked and I still can't get over the fact. Also three years ago I took the three shots of Gardasil. I have my doctors appointment for a colposcopy in 3 weeks but I feel like I am going to go crazy until then... my primary doctor told me not to worry because it is going to go away on its own, but I have kind of become paranoid about this. Please let me know what you think. Thanks :)
Hi Anon, and welcome to EmpowHER. It's understandable why you would be worried right now, however, it may help you to know that a significant portion of the population is also HPV positive. Because HPV is a virus you will always have it, it is not possible to eradicate a virus from the body. Our immune systems are our best and only defense against viruses and work to keep the virus in check. When your doctor said your HPV will go away on its own, she was referring to the expression of the virus in the tissue. That can be cleared and "go away" and often does.
Also, a pap smear is just a screening exam, which is why it is followed with colposcopy when it is abnormal or if there is a positive HPV. A colposcopy is how doctors diagnose dysplasia and determine its severity.
The risk factors for developing HPV related cervical dysplasia are:
Smoking
Oral contraceptive use
Early onset of sexual intercourse (before age 16)
Multiple sexual partners
Unprotected sex and condom use (condoms are only 70% effective against HPV exposure)
Uncircumcised males
Multiple pregnancies
HIV
Chlamydia infection
Herpes infection
Obesity
Low socioeconomic status
Diet
Screening Pap smears (lack of)
The more you understand about this the more you can manage your own health. You can also find good information on the following EmpowHER reference pages:
March 25, 2010 - 6:23pmHPV: http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/genital-warts
Cervical Cancer: http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/cervical-cancer#definition
We wish you the best. Take care, Pat
I am 19 and I just found out I was also diagnosed with HPV. I have only had two partners and my current was free of anything before we started dating. I assume I accumulated the virus from my ex-boyfriend almost a year ago. I am very worried also, but am glad to see that many, like yourself are saying that it should clear up and go away on its own. I am currently recieving the Gardasil shots, and they are hoping that will be an extra boost to help it go away. Most people are saying that it is very responsive to stress so let's be very proactive and have fun, keep a healthy diet, and prayer will also help you stay content if you're a believer in that.
February 5, 2011 - 9:14amdear anon thanx for reminding me that i need to stop stressing
March 24, 2011 - 6:24amAnonymous, Your comment that your current boyfriend was "free of anything" is a common misconception when it comes to HPV. Men rarely show any symtoms of HPV especially the high risk types known to cause a variety of cancers. To make things more complicated, there is no test specifically for men to determine whether or not they have HPV. If under 26 you should BOTH get the Gardasil vaccine to prevent from the two MOST high risk types of HPV hoping that you may not have contracted them already. There are over 40 HPV types that affect the anogenital area and approximately 14 which are high risk for cancer. You may have shown a positive test result becuase of one of these other strains and not 16 and 18 which are covered by the vaccine. Merck provides financial assistance if you find yourself needing it to obtain the series.
May 3, 2011 - 4:11amIt is virtually impossible to pinpoint who gave you HPV because the initial symptoms a woman experiences are often minor and missd all together. The virus can then go dormant and show up months, years or decades later. It is possible you got HPV from any of your past or current partners but it is important that you notify them you have been diagnosed with HPV so they can take precautions to reduce the risks of passing it on to anyone else. One of the known risk factors for contracting HPV is an increased number of sexual partners.
What disturbs me about comments like your doctors "It will go away on it's own" is that this is really untrue. No one can know this. They can only know that more than LIKELY it will go away but there are still those in whom it will progress. To inform you that it is more than likely to go away on it's own would have been a better way to state this since none of us has a crystal ball. If you were told it would go away and ended up one of those in whom the virus became worse, I'm sure you would be more upset given what you were lead to believe. This is usually the reaction of women who have been told what you have and then they end up questioning their doctor going forward. It's a poor choice of words at best.
thank u susan for giving me some relief. when i was diagnosed at sel medical the gyn told me that there is only a 20 % chance of hpv going away and to keep coming back fr coloscpies 2x per year to make sure no cancer is being formed.she also said to come back in 3 years to see if it has gone away. andshe was so cold about it a if it was my fault or we weregoing for a walk in the park. thank u for giving me hope.
March 24, 2011 - 6:21amthanx for your comment mrs.cody but in my situatioon i wonder like if it clears up will i keep getting reinfected due to my partner having it too.and does hpv cause u to feel like u have a cold everyday. and how do i tell my partner. ive known since last year in october that i had it.me and my partner have gone through so much together that i dont think he could take anymore bad news and right now he's out of work and stressed already. im a recovering addict. i will be 10 mthjs clean tomorrow and he is still sruggling with the people places and things aspect of recovery.we had our children removed from us for a small period of time due to drug abuse and domestic violence on both our parts because of the drugs. we got our children back over a year ago but i had started using again for a small amount of time then i finally made the decision to stop. i feel like with us having been through so much throughout the past 4 years of our relationship and we are holding on how much more can we take.
May 12, 2011 - 8:15amHi Shimad7,
May 12, 2011 - 9:46amI'm sorry your HPV seems to be compounding issues for you. As Bonnie D. has posted on here, HPV is a virus, so it never completely goes away. It can be re-activated at times. If you have it, it is likely your partner has it too, regardless of who had it first. It is incredibly hard to know where it started, but it will perpetuate. The best thing you can do, is to watch out for symptoms, like genital warts, and keep up regular visits with your doctor to ensure you don't get dysplasia. Keeping tabs on your condition will keep it under control so it doesn't turn into something worse.
I'm sorry your doctor didn't seem supportive. If you are uncomfortable with your doctor, you can request to see someone else at the same office, or switch practices. You have rights and options.
You also may want to join a group here at EmpowHER to bolster any treatment you have been going through for your addiction. EmpowHER Addiction Group
Good luck, and let us know if you need further information.
Does this mean that I have to be abstinent for the two years? I am engaged to this person. Does the body fight it off despite the reaccuring contact? I guess though that if we dont stop we'll never know when either are clean. He's never been tested for it. But he was my first so obviously he gave it to me.
September 26, 2011 - 10:25pm