Positive HPV smear…cheating husband?

When was your last smear before this? It is only in the last few years they have started testing for HPV, you could have had it before and not known as it wasn't tested, only abnormal cells were reported in the past.

As others have said it can also lay dormant.

I had a positive HPV smear a few years ago and never once thought it was because my husband had cheated...

Colposcopy's aren't as bad as you will think, I was referred to one after 3 HPV positive smears and I think I've had 3 colposcopy's since then and it's honestly not much different to a smear. If they need to take a biopsy it can sting a little but honestly it's nothing to worry about. I've now been signed off to 3 yearly checks as my last colposcopy and smear were negative for HPV and any abnormalities. I think if anything it gave me peace of mind as I knew I'd had a thorough check over

It doesn't mean he has cheated, op. He might have but, as others have said, it could have lain dormant for years. You'll know if he has by the expression on his face when you tell him.

The important thing now is for you to have your colposcopy and be well. I'm sure you will be.

Good luck.

I see, not just through sex but through

• any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
• vaginal, anal or oral sex
• sharing sex toys

Can I just add, OP depending on when your last smear was they may not have tested you for HPV before as they always used to look at the cells first for changes but they made the breakthrough that hpv has to be present for cervical changes that cause cancer so now they test for HPV firs then if that's positive review the cells

You’re also BU for “spiralling” over a colposcopy. It’s a fairly routine procedure. Great that you were screened and this was picked up, this is good news. I had a colposcopy aged 20 and it was just like more involved smear - but with a gynae rather than a nurse

If you’ve got suspicions then you could just call his bluff and say that he’s obviously slept with someone and that’s how you’ve got it, so own up now. See what his reaction is.

Nuns don't get HPV unless they had sexual contacts before becoming celibate.

I tested positive many years ago and had treatment for abnormal cells. Had been in the same relationship for 5 years at the time. 20 ish years later I tested positive again. I am in a different relationship now but feel it could just be that it’s come from me once again.

A condom doesn’t protect against HPV because you can get hpv through skin to skin contact.
How would you personally know, nuns who have hpv😂

Same here. Previous smear was positive and the last was negative. It can lay dormant for years

The education around this is so poor, as I thought exactly the same. The nurse told me last week that pretty much all males carry the virus something like 8 out 10 people. It's not the same as a sexuallt transmitted disease.

I’m a colposcopy doctor. We only started routinely testing for HPV in 2020. Before then we did a different test which looked only at the cells in your cervix. The HPV has probably bern there for a long time and you are likely to not have been tested for this at your last smear. It doesn’t mean anyone has been unfaithful.

No. You can be a carrier of HPV have contracted it previously and it's not an Issue for your cervical health until you are testing positive.

Your immune system beats it back and it will pop up when you are run down or advancing in years.

As we age the immune system is less able to keep them contained. People may have got the virus in childhood, it's just suppressed until it isn't.

Nuns get it. I remember having it as a teenager (pre jab, had had one BF and used condoms religiously) and being absolutely terrified 😬 sorry and hope you're ok

As others have said, not necessarily but of course it is possible that this could be the cause!

Don't talk shite @Floppyelf . They only recently started testing for HPV so it could have been present years ago but was never tested for. I'm in Scotland so HPV only started being looked for in 2020. Smears here are only every 5 years too.

They’ve only started testing for HPV last few years in the hope that eventually only people with HPV will need smears frequently. This without can go longer periods. And as HPV vaccines kick in cervical cancer rates will plummet.

you’re unlikely to have been tested before now

The unhelpful fact is you will never know and there’s no way of finding out where it come from

You're wrong and really irresponsible to state this as fact. As many posters have pointed out, it's only in the last 5 or so years that they've tested for HPV during smear tests. HPV is a virus which can change between being active and dormant. When it's dormant, it won't show up on a test.

OP, I tested positive after 20 years in a happy stable partnership. It was post 2019 and when I was in peri menopause. It's nothing to do with cheating. I had a colposcopy and then another smear and I was negative.

Doesn't that contradict everyone else?

Making me think ex h cheated again 💔😡😢

Don't know if someone has mentioned this, but just so you know, it can be passed back and forth between the two of you and takes a couple of years to clear on its own, so you would have to take precautions to get rid of it for good and have hubby tested a couple of years down the line before having unprotected sex again.

Keep in mind that for most areas it is relatively new that they test fit HPV with a smear. It may not have flagged up in previous smear tests because they weren't testing for it

HPV testing has only been fully rolled out since the end of 2019. Depending on if you were in a pilot area and how often you've had tests this could well be only the first or second time you've actually been tested for HPV, prior to that they just looked for the cell changes.