What does high risk HPV mean?

(hy-risk …) A type of human papillomavirus

papillomavirus
(HYOO-mun PA-pih-LOH-muh-VY-rus) A type of virus that can cause abnormal tissue growth (for example, warts) and other changes to cells. Infection for a long time with certain types of human papillomavirus can cause cervical cancer.
https://www.cancer.gov › human-papillomavirus
(HPV) that can cause cervical cancer and other types of cancer, such as cancers of the anus, vagina, vulva, penis, and oropharynx. Chronic infection with high-risk HPV can lead to cell changes that, if not treated, may become cancer. Also called high-risk human papillomavirus.

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What happens if you have high risk HPV?

High-risk HPV infections that persist can cause cancer: Sometimes HPV infections are not successfully controlled by your immune system. When a high-risk HPV infection persists for many years, it can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may get worse over time and become cancer.

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What does it mean to be high risk HPV positive?

A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.

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Why does my HPV test say high risk?

Higher risk: Your test results show either HPV infection with types 16 and/or 18, high grade cell changes on your cervix, or persistent infection with one of the other high-risk HPV types (not 16/18). It is important that you have a further follow-up because you may be at a high risk of developing cervical cancer.

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How do you get high risk HPV?

It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms. If you are sexually active, you can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person.

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High-risk HPV Strains

20 related questions found

What do I do if I test positive for high risk HPV?

If you got a positive HPV test and your Pap test was abnormal, your doctor will probably follow up with a colposcopy. Try to see a physician who specializes in this procedure. During a colposcopy, your doctor will look more closely at the cervix, vagina or vulva with a special microscope called a colposcope.

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Can you get rid of high risk HPV?

Is HPV curable? There's no cure for HPV, but there are plenty of things you can do to stay healthy and safe, and it's even preventable! There are vaccines that can prevent high-risk HPV types and the types that cause genital warts.

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Should I worry if my HPV test is positive?

A positive HPV test means you do have an HPV type that may be linked to cervical cancer. This does not mean you have cervical cancer now. But it could be a warning. The specific HPV type may be identified to determine the next step.

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How long does high risk HPV persist?

For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.

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How often should I get a Pap smear if I have HPV?

Age 30-65 years

HPV test every 5 years. HPV/Pap cotest every 5 years. Pap test every 3 years.

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What does high risk HPV mean on Pap smear?

High-risk HPV was found. It does not mean you have cancer. It means you may be at higher risk for getting cervical cancer in the future. Your health care provider may order more tests to monitor and/or diagnose your condition.

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What are the signs of HPV in a woman?

HPV can infect cells in the vagina and around the vulva. If a female has low risk HPV, they may see warts on the vulva. These warts may present as: a cluster that looks like a cauliflower.
...
Some symptoms of vaginal cancer include :
  • bleeding after sex.
  • unusual discharge.
  • a lump in the vagina.
  • pain while having sex.

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Should I tell my partner I have high risk HPV?

Unlike other STIs, there is no treatment for HPV, so it is not necessary to disclose HPV to current or previous sexual partners.

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How long does it take for high risk HPV to cause abnormal cells?

HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after getting an HPV infection. Cervical cancer usually develops over 10 or more years. There can be a long interval between being infected with HPV, the development of abnormal cells on the cervix and the development of cervical cancer.

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Can HPV high risk come back?

If you have high-risk HPV that sticks around or goes dormant and keeps coming back, that's when it becomes cancer causing (or what doctors call oncogenic). This means that it changes the cells of your cervix, penis, anus or mouth and leads to precancerous cells.

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What percentage of HPV becomes cancerous?

About 10% of women with HPV infection on their cervix will develop long-lasting HPV infections that put them at risk for cervical cancer. Similarly, when high-risk HPV lingers and infects the cells of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus, it can cause cell changes called precancers.

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How long does it take for high-risk HPV to show up on a test?

Q: How long after exposure does it usually take for something to be detectable? A: Changes consistent with HPV can usually be detected within 3-6 months after exposure to the infection.

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Does high risk HPV weaken your immune system?

A compromised immune response is the prerequisite for disease progression. One unique feature of HPV infection is that it can affect the immune system in such as way that it presents a much more tolerant state, which facilitates persistent hrHPV infection and cervical lesion progression.

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Why won't my high risk HPV go away?

Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.

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Can a woman give a man high risk HPV?

Can HPV be passed between a man and a woman? Yes, men can catch HPV from women. The virus can be passed on between sexual partners of any gender.

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Can you keep infecting your partner with HPV?

Partners who are sexually intimate only with each other are not likely to pass the same virus back and forth. When HPV infection goes away the immune system will remember that HPV type and keep a new infection of the same HPV type from occurring again.

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Can my partner have HPV and not me?

There is no sure way to know when HPV was acquired i.e. from which partner it came from or how long ago. 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.

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How serious is HPV in females?

But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems including: Cervical cancer. Other genital cancers (such as cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus) Oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils)

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What does high risk HPV feel like?

High-risk HPV doesn't have symptoms

Unfortunately, most people who have a high-risk type of. That's why regular checkups are so important — testing is the only way to know for sure if you're at risk for cancer from HPV.

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