How to answer common questions about HPV

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It’s a very common virus and 80% of people will have it at some point in their lives. There are over 200 types of HPV, but only some affect the genital area. Of these, around 14 types are called ‘high-risk’ because they can cause cell changes that might lead to cancer. Most HPV infections clear up on their own within two years without causing any problems.

HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact. You can get or pass on high-risk HPV through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, sharing sex toys, or any genital skin touching. You don’t need to have penetrative sex to get high-risk HPV. Condoms reduce the risk of transmission but don’t completely prevent it, as they don’t cover all genital skin.

It’s impossible to know when you got HPV. The virus can lie dormant in your body for years before being detected. You could have got it from a current partner or someone years ago.

High-risk HPV doesn’t cause any symptoms – you can’t see or feel it. This is why cervical screening is so important. It will pick up if you have high-risk HPV or cell changes. Low-risk types that cause genital warts are the only types with visible symptoms.

High-risk HPV can cause certain types of cancer, including head and neck, anal, cervical, vulval, vaginal, and penile cancer. High-risk HPV on your cervix can cause the cells in your cervix to change. If not monitored or treated, these changes could develop into cancer over many years. Low-risk HPV types don’t cause cancer but can cause conditions like genital warts.

Types 16 and 18 cause around 7 in 10 cervical cancers. But most people with these types never develop cancer because their immune system usually clears the virus naturally.

HPV testing is now the first test done on your cervical screening sample – this is called ‘HPV primary screening’ and looks for high-risk HPV types. If HPV is found, the same sample is checked for cell changes.

There’s no HPV test available for men and people with penises, and no test for HPV in other areas like the throat or anus. HPV testing is done as part of the cervical screening programme.

Yes, high-risk HPV can cause penile, anal and throat cancers. Low-risk HPV can cause genital warts.

Some people get mild side effects like a sore arm, redness or swelling where the injection was given, a slight fever, nausea or dizziness. These usually go away within a day or two. Serious side effects are extremely rare. The vaccine has been given to millions of people worldwide and is continuously monitored for safety.

The HPV vaccine is most effective when given before someone becomes sexually active, which is why it’s offered to children aged 12-13. The vaccine protects against the HPV types that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts. It’s been shown to be very safe and effective and could prevent your child from getting HPV-related cancers later in life. Research shows that having the vaccine before the age of 17 reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer by 88%.

The HPV vaccine is available free on the NHS to specific groups. These include children who’d rather have the vaccine at the surgery than at school, young people age 25 or younger who haven’t yet had it, men who have sex with men age 45 or younger, sex workers, and some trans men and trans women. You can also get the vaccine privately at travel clinics and some pharmacies.

This means the virus is present but hasn’t caused any changes to your cells. Your immune system will usually clear the virus naturally, but you’ll be invited back for another screening, in one year, to check. If HPV is found at three screenings in a row, you’ll be referred for colposcopy – even without cell changes. This is because having HPV for longer slightly increases your risk of developing cell changes. It’s a precaution to keep you safe.

You’ll be referred for a colposcopy – a closer look at your cervix. This doesn’t mean you have cancer. It means the specialists want to check the cell changes more carefully and may offer treatment if needed.

Once your body clears a specific HPV type, you usually develop some immunity to it. But you can get a different type of HPV, it’s also possible for the same type of HPV to become dormant and reactivate later, though this is less common.

There’s no cure or treatment for the virus itself, and your immune system normally clears it naturally, but there are treatments for the conditions it can cause. Cell changes can be monitored or treated at colposcopy. Genital warts can be treated with creams or removed.

HPV doesn’t affect your fertility or ability to have children. If you need treatment for cell changes, this might slightly increase the risk of premature birth, but most people who have treatment go on to have healthy pregnancies.

Having HPV doesn’t mean you’ll get cancer. Most HPV infections clear up without causing problems. Even with high-risk HPV, cancer typically takes 15-20 years to develop if cell changes aren’t monitored or treated. Cervical screening catches cell changes early, when they’re easy to treat.

High-risk HPV can cause other cancers including vulval, vaginal, anal, penile, and some head and neck cancers. But these are much less common than cervical cancer, and there’s no routine screening for them.

It’s your personal choice. Remember that HPV is extremely common and usually harmless. If you’re in a relationship, your partner has likely already been exposed. There’s no test for them and no treatment for the virus itself.

No. HPV can lie dormant for years, so it’s impossible to know when you got it, or who from. You could have had it before your current relationship. Having HPV is not a sign of infidelity.

Condoms can reduce the risk of HPV transmission but not completely, as HPV affects all genital skin. If you’re in a long-term relationship, your partner has probably already been exposed.

Yes, HPV can be passed through oral sex, though the risk is generally lower. Most oral HPV infections clear without causing problems.

The HPV vaccine protects against the types that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts. It’s most effective when given before becoming sexually active. Regular cervical screening detects HPV early so any cell changes can be monitored or treated. Not smoking helps your body clear HPV more effectively.

Smoking weakens your immune system and makes it harder for your body to clear HPV and increases the risk of cell changes progressing. Having a weakened immune system from long term immunosuppressants or HIV can also make it harder to clear the virus naturally.

Absolutely not. HPV is easily passed on when you are sexually active. Having HPV says nothing about your character or lifestyle. Most sexually active people will have HPV at some point.

No. Genital warts are caused by low-risk HPV types, which are different to the high-risk types that can cause cancer.

No, the immune system clears HPV within two years for 9 in 10 people.

For more information and support, visit The Eve Appeal website (eveappeal.org.uk). For personal support, The Eve Appeal offers a free Ask Eve service – email nurse@eveappeal.org.uk or call 0808 802 0019. This is a confidential nurse-led service that can help with any worries you have. You can also find reliable information on HPV and vaccines on the NHS website.