What will happen if HPV is left untreated?

HPV can cause cervical and other cancers, including cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer). This can include the base of the tongue and tonsils. Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV.

How long does it take for HPV to turn into cancer?

Research has found that it can take 10 to 20 years, or even longer, for HPV-infected cervical cells to develop into a cancerous tumor. Among women whose cervical cells are infected with high-risk HPV, several factors increase the chance that the infection will be long lasting and lead to precancerous cervical cells.

What are the warning signs of HPV?

Most people with HPV — no matter what their gender is — don't have any symptoms. Sometimes HPV can cause warts on your penis or vulva and around your anus. Genital warts can cause irritation and discomfort, and you can pass the HPV that caused them to other people.

Does HPV make you feel sick?

HPV usually doesn't make you feel sick or cause any symptoms. Your immune system can fight off the infection before you ever know you have it, but you could still spread it to others before that happens. If you do get symptoms, the most common signs of HPV are genital warts.

How long does it take for 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.

This Is How HPV Causes Cancer

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.

What to do if Pap smear showed 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.

How long is HPV contagious?

Is HPV Contagious Forever? Most cases of HPV clear up on their own after one to two years, and you'll no longer be contagious once it leaves your system. However, the virus can remain dormant for years, and some people experience infections that stick around for much longer.

Can HPV affect your stomach?

HPV16 and HPV18 are the most common cancer-causing HPV subtypes on a global scale. Simultaneously, HPV16, HPV18, and HPV33 have been confirmed to be correlated with tumors in digestive system, such as oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Should I get a hysterectomy if I have HPV?

Unfortunately, once you have been infected with HPV, there is no treatment that can cure it or eliminate the virus from your system. A hysterectomy removes the cervix, which means that the risk of developing cervical cancer because of persistent HPV infection will essentially be eliminated.

Is HPV life threatening?

HPV can cause a very serious condition in children called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). This is a life-threatening disease of the respiratory tract. The papillomas or warts appear and spread quickly, sometimes dangerously blocking the child's airway.

What are signs of HPV in females?

Does HPV make you tired?

Patients with HPV-unrelated tumors experienced significantly higher levels of fatigue over the course of the study (p=0.0097, Table 2), especially at pre-IMRT (p=0.001) and three-month post-IMRT (p=0.002), compared to those with HPV-related tumors (Figure 1a).

Will I eventually get cancer if I have HPV?

HPV can cause cervical and other cancers, including cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer). This can include the base of the tongue and tonsils. Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV.

What percentage of HPV turns into 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. Similarly, when high-risk HPV lingers and infects the cells of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus, it can cause cell changes called precancers.

What are the symptoms of Stage 1 cervical cancer?

Cancer of the cervix often has no symptoms in its early stages. If you do have symptoms, the most common is unusual vaginal bleeding, which can occur after sex, in between periods or after the menopause.

What organ does HPV damage?

Chronic hepatitis C can be a serious disease resulting in long-term health problems, including liver damage, liver failure, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death. It is the most common reason for liver transplantation in the United States.

What causes HPV to flare?

– 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.

What can HPV cause later in life?

How long does it take for HPV to show up on Pap smear?

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.

Does HPV show up in a blood test?

About blood tests for HPV

There is no blood, urine, anal, or oral swab that can detect HPV. The only way to detect HPV is by viewing cell samples from the cervix under a microscope. This is because the virus passes through skin-to-skin contact and infects the skin and mucosal cells.

How do men get tested for HPV?

Is there testing for HPV in Men? No, there is currently no approved test for HPV in men. CDC does not recommend routine testing (also called 'screening') for HPV in men. CDC also does not recommend routine testing for diseases from HPV before there are signs or symptoms in men.

Should I worry if 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.

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.

What does it mean if your Pap is normal but HPV is positive?

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.