First, a pap smear does not detect HPV. Instead, a pap smear looks for damage to cells by certain types of HPV. The vast majority of women and men are infected with HPV soon after having intercourse. For most, the infection is never detected or noticed.
Yes, HPV can be dormant and undetected by a pap smear. A pap smear looks for damage to the cervix caused by HPV. It does not look for all subtypes of HPV or detect HPV infection.
Yes, it's common for HPV to cause problems on pap smears many years after infection. HPV on a pap smear does not tell you when infection occurred.
HPV is passed on through genital contact-most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex. Since HPV usually causes no symptoms, most men and women can get HPV-and pass it on-without realizing it. People can have HPV even if years have passed since they had sex. Even men with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV.
Abnormal changes in a pap smear may or may not be related to HPV. Getting information about your specific pap result can help you determine whether HPV is a possible cause.
You should avoid anything in the vagina for 24 hours before a pap smear or HPV test.
Current recommendations are for women thirty and over to have a combination of Pap smear and HPV test. If both of these are normal, the next pap smear is due in five years. This strategy for screening decreases the number of false positives and false negatives. Talk with your health care provider for advice specific to your situation and history.
A negative pap smear positive for high-risk HPV means that there were no abnormal cells (damage) noted, but the HPV result means that repeat testing or additional testing may be needed. The recommendations depend on your age and history.
You can do HPV genotyping to know high risk and low risk type of HPV.
Yes you can still pass it on to your partner if you have unprotected sex. A pap smear can't tell you if you do or don't have HPV. A pap smear only looks for damage to the cells of the cervix caused by high-risk HPV. For instance, people with genital warts can have normal Pap smears.
A pap smear looks for signs of cervical cancer or precancerous problems on the cervix. It's meant to show which patients need further screening for these conditions. An HPV test done at the same time or just after the pap is typically done to look for high-risk (cancer causing) HPV subtypes. It may be ordered with or after the pap based on a woman's age, her pap history, or due to an inconclusive pap result. A negative HPV test in this context only says that the cervix is not infected with high-risk HPV subtypes; a negative test doesn't mean you don't have HPV, but just that there's no high-risk HPV on the cervix.
A PAP smear looks for cellular abnormalities associated with cervical cancer. While it may occasionally raise questions that eventually lead to recognizing the presence of HPV, that is not its function or expectation. Please visit your obsetrician to get an answer. Don't take the chance of getting a wrong answer from ordinary people. Most health questions should be directed to your own physician.
yes you do! i had my first one today and i got an information sheet about it and you still have to have smear tests in the future.