High risk HPV and smear

[SwirlyShirly]

I was confirmed as having high risk HPV 3 years ago. Since then I've been having yearly smear tests, and as they were all HPV positive I was expecting colposcopy following my most recent test however when I had my latest one a few weeks ago it was HPV negative, and they've sent me back to 3 yearly smears. Does anyone know if that's right?

Unfortunately, yes. It happened to me. I had a colposcopy after a "bad" smear. Luckily, it was deemed my cells were OK but yearly smears. Year later, hpv had gone dormant so I was put back on 3 yearly smears. I spoke to the nurse at my gp surgery and she confirmed this is normal.

Ok, thank you. It just feels like a long wait knowing I've got the HPV there waiting to flare up again. Thanks for this though.

Yes I had HPV one year and got referred and was ok but then the next smear detected no hpv so I was sent back to 3 year ones

Same as others think I'm on my 4th year of HPV but after the examination I'm back on yearly ones.
Appreciate how you feel; my eldest is soon getting her vaccine I hope so I feel like if she knows I have it then she would be worried.

They say it takes 2 years on average to get over it usually, but given checks are only 3 yearly, I don't see how they can gauge that, its a ballpark timeframe. I had it for 2- 3 years, but I think I'd literally just got it before my first positive smear. So people could have it 0-3 years up to their 1st positive test. They do a colposcopy if you have altered cells also on a smear, otherwise they don't. If have HPV but no altered cells there's no treatment, just yearly checks until its gone, then back to 3 years. So yes, it's normal procedure.