Can HPV go away on its own?

Hi Jenn - There's absolutely no reason to feel like a horrible person! First, a few facts and statistics. Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.

Second, the only way to know if you have HPV is to be tested. You can learn more about testing here: https://www.empowher.com/providers/qiagen-digene-hpv-test

Once you know your status it would be a good time to talk about STDs and precautions with your boyfriend. It's never too late to take steps to take care of your health, and that's really what this is all about.
Good luck! Pat

Hello, my name is Jenn and I would like to thank you for all the helpful comments on this topic. I'm 32 yrs old and was in a relationship for about 6 years with someone who I found out (after having sex with) had warts. Of course I freaked out but figured it was too late and my fate was sealed. He had the warts 'frozen' off and they never came back. I myself have never had any outbreak of warts, I have also never had any of the other kinds of warts on my hands or even a cold sore so I figured my immune system is heathly and can fight it off. Since starting to have sex 12 years ago I have never had an abnormal pap test. My question is does having sex with an infected person mean that I 100% have HPV? I have never been 'tested' for that specifically and wonder if I should but I keep thinking what good it would do. I have been seeing someone for 2 years now and I feel guilty for not having told him and I am too afraid to tell him because he will think less of me, especially after bringing it up 2 years later. I don't know what to do!! I feel like a horrible person :(

Anon - I thought it might help you to have some references that provide extensive detail on the side effects from both the LEEP procedure and cryosurgery.

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, LEEP has been associated with an increased risk of future pregnancy problems. Although most women have no problems, there is a small increase in the risk of premature births and having a low birth weight baby.

According to the National Cancer Institute , Cryosurgery for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia has not been shown to affect a woman's fertility, but it can cause cramping, pain, or bleeding. Because physicians can focus cryosurgical treatment on a limited area, they can avoid the destruction of nearby healthy tissue. The treatment can be safely repeated. The major disadvantage of cryosurgery is the uncertainty surrounding its long-term effectiveness.

You can find more specific details from the following links:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/cryosurgery
http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp110.cfm

Sometimes what I find helpful in making a difficult decision is to research my options and then weigh them side by side on a pad of paper. Hope you find this helpful in making your decision. Take care, Pat

You all seem so helpful that I thought I'd give my question a try here.
My name is Anna, I'm 23 years old and I have high-risk HPV. In July of '09 I had cryosurgery to remove CIN III/CIS dysplasia from my cervix. I got a follow-up Pap in January of '10 and now have CIN I/CIN II on my cervix. The doctor reccommended either LEEP or cryo again. I have some serious hesitation about LEEP because I eventually want to have children and LEEP can compromise the ability to carry a baby to term. If anything, I would do cryo again, but I'm wondering if multiple bouts of cryo can cause scarring as well? I'd really just like to wait it out and keep up with Paps every 6 months since cervical cancer progresses very slowly. Is it more difficult to remove the dysplasia if it's severe rather than mild/moderate? I just don't want to have all of these procedures done on my cervix - I'm terrified that I won't be able to have children! (Not to mention that the first cryosurgery I had was EXTREMELY painful for me...)
Thank you so much for your time. I sincerely appreciate any comments.

Hi Lauren - I'm guessing you want to know if it's okay for you and your partner to engage in sex right now, and yes, it should be fine, as long as you're confident that both of you are monogamous. Hope that helps!

Anon - It sounds like your doctor found indicators of cervical dysplasia from your Pap test. Cervical dysplasia means there are abnormal changes in the epithelial cells covering the surface of the cervix. Dysplasia in some cases is precancerous and may lead to cervical cancer if not treated. You can learn more about cervical dysplasia from our reference page: https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/cervical-dysplasia#definition

Your doctor should have provided information about what type of follow up he/she felt was needed. If not, please contact your doctor's office for clarification of the test results and follow up recommendations. In some cases doctors just indicate that the results indicate a need to watch the condition and then retest at a later date. You need to be clear on your results and the necessary follow up.

As far as HPV it would be in your best interest to learn more about it and to consider having an HPV test. This article has information on the differences between the Pap smear and the HPV test: https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/05/09/what-difference-between-pap-smear-and-hpv-test

There are about 100 types of HPV. Approximately 30 of those are spread through genital contact (typically sexual intercourse). There are approximately 13 high-risk types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. Vaccination does not protect against HPV contracted prior to vaccination, nor does it protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. For the sake of your health it would be best to use protection against STDs at all times.

There are multiple articles on this site about HPV, HPV testing and cervical cancer. I hope you will take the time to learn more about what you can do to protect yourself, and that you will contact your doctor's office as soon as possible so you can gain good information and some peace of mind.

Take care, Pat

I was just told by my doctor that my pap smear a couple weeks ago came back abnormal. she showed me the diagram explaining the stages of CIN, mine being minor. I am not sure if i have HPV, it was never mentioned, i was too confused and unsure what to think that I forgot to ask.
I have been with my boyfriend for about a year now, before him I had 3 partners. My first pap smear in july, 2008 was clear. the next 3 boys I had unprotected sex with. Bad I know. January of this year I had blood test done for STD's, and everything was fine. (Don't think they tested me for HPV, as far as I know, there isn't a blood test for that). March of this year I started having unprotected sex with my current boyfriend of one year. I am confused as to what this abnormal result is and will it lead to cancer? I am terrified.
Also I had the gardisil shot in the spring of 2009, then in the fall of 2009 and my last shot this January (2010).
Please, someone, I need to know what I should do. When should I get another pap smear? Do I need a colposcy or biopsy? Are those procedures done in the doctor's office or by a specialist?

This is a common question and one that has been answered several times throughout this thread. The issue here seems to be people's definitions. Often you will hear the word "cleared" and this is interpreted incorrectly as cured. Because lesions caused by HPV can go away this should in no way be confused with the elimination of the virus by the body.

The body is capable of keeping the virus in a dormant state such that no further lesions or symptoms will occur but once you have contracted the HPV virus you will have it for life. There is no cure for HPV. The virus can become active again and just when this will occur has no set course. There are some things which can be closely linked to reactivation of lesion development and active HPV which include pregnancy, increased levels of stress, re-exposure to the virus from a new partner which can increase the viral load but again this is largely an individual issue.

Most people are aware of or have had Chicken Pox. This virus also remains dormant but in this case it remains dormant in the nerve roots. Later in life it can become active but presents at Shingles, a condition with a rash typically around the waist circumferentially around the body which is very very painful. This is just another example of a virus which can be dormant for years, even decades, and then resurface again.

So in a nutshell, there is no cure for HPV and once you have contracted it you will have it for life. Whether or not you continue to have ongoing lesions or the virus becomes dormant and recurs at a later point in time cannot be predicted. The best protection is to get vaccinated with Gardasil and use condoms to reduce transmission of the virus by reducing the skin surface contact. However Gardasil only protects again two of the over 30 high risk strains of HPV and although these are the two most common strains in producing cancerous lesions there are many others. Don't let anyone tell you that HPV can be cured. Telling you that it can "go away" is not the same as cured. Perhaps you could correct them and insert the word dormant instead which is more appropriate.