Yes. You should still get the HPV vaccine even if you have had an abnormal Pap test because even if you have been infected with HPV, it is not likely that you have been infected with all of the types that the vaccine protects against. So, you can still benefit from protection afforded by the HPV vaccine.
The vaccine is less effective in preventing HPV-related disease in young women who have already been exposed to one or more HPV types. That is because the vaccine prevents HPV before a person is exposed to it. The HPV vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or HPV-associated diseases.
Getting the HPV vaccine later in life won't cure HPV for someone who already has it. But if you have one strain of the virus, getting vaccinated will protect against other strains, which may include the high-risk forms.
While HPV doesn't come back after clearing completely, it's difficult to know if an infection has actually been resolved or is simply dormant. Additionally, while you're unlikely to be reinfected with the exact same type of HPV, you can be infected with another strain.
Getting vaccinated will not get rid of any existing HPV infections you have, but you should still get one, as it will protect you from other strains of HPV you have not yet been exposed to. The HPV vaccine can prevent infections from some of the most common and serious types of HPV that cause cancers and genital warts.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer.
A potentially more common but less pronounced form of HPV reactivation likely occurs in all women as they undergo age-related hormonal and immunologic changes. For example, approximately 8% of women with carcinogenic HPV had recurrent detection after a negative test, which was associated with older age (9).
Other factors that may contribute to or help trigger a recurrence of HPV include the use of certain medications that can impair the immune system (e.g., immunosuppression drugs), serious illness, surgery, or HIV infection. The truth is, experts are still not entirely clear about recurrence of HPV.
HPV has a 'dormancy' period, which means that the virus spends some time in our body without causing any harm, this is usually a couple of years but can stretch to decades. When HPV is dormant it can't be detected by a test, but it can become active later which is when it would be picked up in cervical screening.
HPV vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years. Some adults age 27 through 45 years who were not already vaccinated might choose to get HPV vaccine after speaking with their doctor about their risk for new HPV infections and possible benefits of vaccination for them.
It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.
When the body's immune system can't get rid of an HPV infection with oncogenic HPV types, it can linger over time and turn normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer. About 10% of women with HPV infection on their cervix will develop long-lasting HPV infections that put them at risk for cervical cancer.
Cervical cell changes happen slowly. It can take many years for cells infected with HPV to develop into cervical cancer. We have great tools to prevent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer.
No, there are over 100 types of HPV, and they nearly all spread through close contact, but it doesn't have to be sexual contact. However, types of HPV that cause genital warts and other high-risk types of HPV are passed on through skin-to-skin contact with the genitals, vaginal, anal or oral sex or sharing sex toys.
Those who said they were depressed or believed they had high levels of stress also still had an active HPV infection. HPV usually clears up on its own, but this study is really the first to indicate a link between stress and persistent HPV infection.
If you still have HPV after 3 years, you may need to have a colposcopy. You'll be asked to have a colposcopy. Information: HPV is a common virus and most people will get it at some point.
It might be possible for you to get HPV again. This may be the same HPV type your body had before. But you could get a type you have not had. If you have had one type of HPV, it is less likely you will be infected with that type again.
Around 9 in 10 HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, HPV will remain in their body. This is called a 'persistent HPV infection' and it can lead to cell changes in the cervix.
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.