Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that is primarily transferred by skin-to-skin sexual contact. In fact, HPV is so common that over 80% of sexually active adults will get HPV at some point in their lives. While over 150 types of HPV have been identified, only some are high-risk HPV types, known to cause health problems such as genital warts and cancers. Testing positive for HPV is not a negative reflection on you, your partner, or your lifestyle. ^[1]

There is no treatment for the HPV virus. Most high-risk HPV infections have no symptoms, are harmless, and are cleared by the body’s immune system within two years. Since there are often no symptoms, a woman may never know that she or her partner has HPV. However, when the presence of HPV continues, certain types of high-risk HPV can progress to precancer or cancer. In women, HPV 16 and HPV 18 are the two highest risk types, known to cause close to 70% of cervical cancer cases.

Be proactive about your cervical health by learning about your testing options: Getting screened for cervical cancer is one of the most important things you can do for your health. All adult women should undergo periodic cervical cancer screening. The Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem recommends that 70% of women are screened with high-performance tests by ages 35 and 45 years^[2]. Testing positively is not a reflection on you, your partner or your lifestyle. So, while testing HPV positive doesn't necessarily mean you have, or will develop cervical cancer, it does mean you could be at an increased risk. It's important to know which HPV type you have to fully understand your risk^[3].
Even if you have received the HPV vaccine, it is recommended that you still be screened for cervical cancer. Although the available HPV vaccines cover some high-risk HPV types, they do not cover all high-risk HPV types. Therefore, experts still recommend that you continue to get screened regularly for cervical cancer even after you’ve received the vaccine.