HPV and exH

[hollybolls]

Firstly I can't remember if I was tested for HPV in my last smear test 3 years ago in 2019.

I've had my latest one and I've tested positive for HPV. No abnormal cells thanks goodness, just back in a year for another test.

So myself and exH separated a year ago. In that time he slept with at least 1 other woman. Possibly more but he was adamant there was only 1.

I didn't know about this and we tried to make our marriage work again, started sleeping together - unaware he had slept with someone else.

I'm just trying to get it straight in my mind - is it likely I've caught HPV off him in the last year?

You will never know. It can be in your body for years before a positive result.

Thank you. I just thought it was odd that it was positive now. It has been an incredibly stressful year so also wondered if that could have triggered it

You could have had it lying dormant for a while and it wasn’t detected previously.

Most people have HPV
I really wouldn’t worry about it x

I do get health anxiety but I'll try not too

HPV is very common and only a couple of strains (I think it's a couple) have been shown to be causative agents in cervical cancer.
Whether he infected you or not, he should have been honest with you before you had sex with him again.

Most people have it and you could have had it for years and years. Your body can get get rid of it (at least so it’s undetectable) so you may not always be positive.

The body can also clear HPV on it's own, so you may have this one positive test and never test positive again. Plus, as a PP said, there are different strains and only a couple have been shown to be a cause of cervical cancer.

Smear tests only test for the cancer causing strains of hpv. It is common and most people get it at some point , but it doesn't just come from no where.

HPV is very common (I work in sexual health). Nearly everyone who is sexually active has at least one strain of it. Unless you and your dh were virgins when you met, it's impossible to say if it was acquired from the recent cheating. More than likely one or both of you has had it a long time though. In some people it can clear and go away on its own due to the bodies own immune response, but quite often you will have it for life, especially in a relationship where both of you have it. You just pass it back and forth regularly.

You mostly likely have never been tested for it before as NHS guidance on testing has changed in the past few years, so you wouldn't have been tested at your last cervical smear. You might have been tested if you went in for a full work up of STI testing, but you probably would remember this as they would have had to take a swab of your cervix, rather than just do the usual self-sampling swabs that you can do yourself.

It's worth though telling your ex if you feel you can, as he should of course be careful with new partners, though HPV can spread even when using a condom.

What difference would it make ?

Honestly wouldn't wind yourself up about it