Sex partners who have been together tend to share HPV, even when both partners do not show signs of HPV. Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship. There is no treatment to eliminate HPV itself. HPV is usually dealt with by your body's immune system.
Most sexually active couples share HPV until the immune response suppresses the infection. Partners who are sexually intimate only with each other are not likely to pass the same virus back and forth.
If you are sexually active, you can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person. You also can develop symptoms years after having sex with someone who has the infection. This makes it hard to know when you first got it.
The short answer is yes. You can contract HPV through non-sexual exposure. This means that anyone can contract HPV, from babies to adults.
HPV can spread even when a person with the infection has no signs or symptoms. If you are sexually active, you can get HPV even if you have had sex with only one person. Symptoms can appear years after you have sex with someone who has the infection.
People can be infected with HPV without having sexual intercourse. The likelihood of exposure increases with the number of partners a person has, and HPV will often spread early in a relationship as the person is newly exposed to the virus.
The route of HPV transmission is primarily through skin-to-skin or skin-to-mucosa contact. Sexual transmission is the most documented, but there have been studies suggesting non-sexual courses. The horizontal transfer of HPV includes fomites, fingers, and mouth, skin contact (other than sexual).
HPV infection spreads from one person to another through sexual contact involving the anus, mouth, or vagina. The virus can be spread, even if you DO NOT see the warts. You may not see warts for 6 weeks to 6 months after becoming infected. You may not notice them for years.
Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship. There is no treatment to eliminate HPV itself. HPV is usually dealt with by your body's immune system. HPV does not stop you having a normal sex life.
– there's no evidence that HPV has triggers like herpes or asthma that cause flare ups, but many believe that a weakened immune system can lead to outbreaks being more likely. Genital warts are more likely to flare-up if your immune system is not able to effectively fight the HPV infection causing them to appear.
Does my husband/partner need to be tested? No your husband/partner does not need to be tested. HPV is very common, and we do not know how long you may have had it. Your partner is also likely to have had HPV, and they may still have it, or their body may have dealt with it.
You're contagious for as long as you have the virus — regardless of whether or not you have symptoms. For example, even if your genital warts have disappeared, you can still spread the HPV that caused them if the virus is still in your body. Once your immune system destroys the virus, you're no longer contagious.
The most common reason for a negative Pap test with a positive HPV result is that the patient has an HPV infection, but the infection is not causing any cellular abnormalities. Cellular abnormalities caused by HPV can be quite focal on the cervix, while the HPV infection can be more widespread.
While sexual intercourse is the primary means of transmission, genital-to-genital interactions, oral-to-genital interactions, or deep (French) kissing can also spread the virus.
HPV persistence can occur for up to 10 to 15 years; therefore, it is possible for a partner to have contracted HPV from a previous partner and transmit it to a current partner. It is also possible the patient's partner recently cheated on her; research confirms both possibilities.
But women's risk for HPV is not over yet: There is sometimes a second peak around the age of menopause. Why? A study released early in 2013 of women 35 to 60 years old found that HPV in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago.
While men can be infected with HPV, there are no approved tests available for men. However, your doctor may do an anal pap test if have had anal sex. Your doctor will be able to diagnose low-risk HPV and cutaneous HPV through a physical or visual exam.
How does HPV look in males? In males, warts from HPV commonly develop on the penile shaft. They may appear as raised or flat bumps with a smooth or rough surface. The bumps may have stem-like projections or have a cauliflower-like appearance.
There is no sure way to know when you got HPV or who gave it to you. A person can have HPV for many years before it is detected.
Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines
Women age 21-65 should get a Pap smear every 3 years beginning at age 21. Women age 30 and older can consider Pap testing every 5 years if the procedure is combined with human papillomavirus (HPV)—a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer.
If you have HPV, there's a very good chance it won't be a long-term problem for you.” Your immune system will attack the virus and it will likely be gone within two years. Of the millions of cases of HPV diagnosed every year, only a small number become cancer. Most of those cases are cervical cancer.
HPV can stay in the body for 10-20 years. Finding out you have HPV doesn't mean you or your partner have been unfaithful. It's your decision whether or not to tell your partner you have HPV.
You cannot get HPV from toilet seats, hugging or holding hands, swimming in pools or hot tubs, or sharing food or utensils.
You cannot get HPV from:
Hugging or holding hands. Swimming pools or hot tubs. Sharing food or utensils.