hpv - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Message Board

liz122 · 04-10-2008, 09:04 AM

is it possible to not have hpv a year ago at an exam but have it show up this year with no change in sexual partners?

April7 · 04-10-2008, 10:16 AM

Are you certain they tested you for HPV last year?

I've had the same partner for years and we're monogomous and getting married in 2009. I had a normal pap last March, but this March had an abnormal one and tested positive for HPV. I do not know if they tested me last year for HPV. I recall them asking me if I wanted STD testing and for some odd reason last year I said no, because I'm naive, and I felt and looked healthy. We both had HIV tests, and since we both looked and seemed healthy I didn't feel the need for STD testing. I am not sure if they did the HPV test regardless.

Anyhow, yes and yes. You can test negative for it one year but positive the next. Don't assume the worst that your partner is cheating. It could have been dormant in your system. Or maybe, like I said, they didn't do an HPV test last year even though you thought they did. I know years ago they would ask me if I wanted the STD screening, because it was not standard. Not sure about these days though. I would think and hope that HPV is now standard in every pap, but I cannot say for sure.

blahblah · 04-11-2008, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liz122

is it possible to not have hpv a year ago at an exam but have it show up this year with no change in sexual partners?

Yes, that happened to me. I've been in the same relationship for a year now.
I have tested negative my entire life for HPV and tested negative in January and June of 2007, negative again in October of 2007 but had some abnormal cells, and then positive in March of 2008 - I was asked to return because of the slightly abnormal cells on pap in October and that is when I found out I am now HPV positive.

The reason I had the paps in January and June were because I wanted a total health check - had been married and was worried about the health of my former spouse. In addition I knew I was interested in a new/monogamous relationship so I wanted to be sure I was okay. Which I AM!

Initially I was scared about being HPV positive but I've gained a lot of comfort from this board as well as a number of friends who also have it. I'm not as upset as I thought I would be, and maybe that is because the virus is so under control with all the tests and treatment they have for it out there. And because it is so very common - I take comfort in that.

I've since learned that HPV can lay dormant in your body for YEARS - so I don't know how I acquired it. I plan to be with my current partner for the rest of my life - and have not used a condom with him - so he likely already has it. So neither he nor I are concerned about the fact that I/we have it.

Kindest Regards -

April7 · 04-11-2008, 05:15 PM

I have a friend who is 31. She tested positive at 24. She had paps every 4 months and the last time she tested positive was at 25. She's been negative ever since and now only has to have a yearly pap. What I have been confused about in my research is whether it's gone away as they say often happens over a 1-2 year period, or if it is dormant. Do you ever really know if it's gone?

rhiannon777 · 04-11-2008, 10:19 PM

Yup, definitely possible. In fact, I have seen elderly women whose husbands have been deceased 10 or 20 years by the time they are first diagnosed!