Some people find out they have HPV when they get genital warts. Women may find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result (during cervical cancer screening). Others may only find out once they've developed more serious problems from HPV, such as cancers.
As most HPV is invisible, partners will inevitably share it, and there is no way to know which partner it came from or when they got it. In most people, HPV is harmless and causes no symptoms and will not develop into warts, pre-cancer or cancer. In a few people, HPV can cause genital warts or abnormal cells.
HPV does not usually cause any symptoms. Most people who have it do not realise and do not have any problems. But sometimes the virus can cause painless growths or lumps around your vagina, penis or anus (genital warts).
Tests for HPV Infection in Men
Sometimes normal skin is mistakenly identified as a wart. There is no routine test for men to check for high-risk HPV strains that can cause cancer. However, some doctors are urging anal Pap tests for gay and bisexual men, who are at higher risk of anal cancer caused by HPV.
Symptoms of HPV in men
The most common symptom is genital warts—a raised, flat, cauliflower-looking lesion on the penis, testicles, groin or thighs—which can be frozen off with cryotherapy.
Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They are flesh-colored and can be flat or look bumpy like cauliflower. Some genital warts are so small you cannot see them.
A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms. If you are sexually active, you can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person. You also can develop symptoms years after having sex with someone who has the infection.
you can have HPV for a long time without ever knowing it, finding out you have HPV doesn't mean you or your partner have been unfaithful.
What does it mean if you have a positive HPV test after years of negative tests? Sometimes, after several negative HPV tests, a woman may have a positive HPV test result. This is not necessarily a sign of a new HPV infection. Sometimes an HPV infection can become active again after many years.
Lifetime number of sexual partners was the most significant risk factor for the acquisition of HPV infection (P<0.05). Genital HPV infections may be less likely to persist in men than in women; in men, the median time to clearance of any HPV infection was 5.9 months, with 75% of infections clearing within 12 months.
Your doctor collects a sample of cells from your cervix or vagina to send for laboratory analysis. Pap tests can reveal abnormalities that can lead to cancer. DNA test. This test, conducted on cells from your cervix, can recognize the DNA of the high-risk varieties of HPV that have been linked to genital cancers.
Almost all cervical cancers are thought to be caused by HPV infections. While there are often no signs of early cervical cancer, some signs may include: Increased vaginal discharge, which may be pale, watery, pink, brown, bloody, or foul-smelling.
One of the most important aspects of coping with HPV, and helping partners develop a good understanding of the virus, is getting factual information and avoiding myths and hype. It may also be a good idea to have resources to which you can direct a partner, so you know they turn to trustworthy sources for information.
A person can continue to date if they have HPV. If people know they have HPV, they may want to date a person for a while before engaging in sexual activity. This can give people the chance to get to know one another better before discussing HPV.
Our experts say the most important thing to know if you have HPV is that the risk of cancer is very small but should be taken seriously. “Don't panic, and don't ignore it,” Ramondetta says. “Make sure you follow up with your doctor on the next steps and try to keep things in perspective.
For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.
No your husband/partner does not need to be tested. HPV is very common, and we do not know how long you may have had it. Your partner is also likely to have had HPV, and they may still have it, or their body may have dealt with it.
Getting a diagnosis of HPV can take a toll emotionally. Some people withdraw socially and exhibit symptoms of anxiety and depression over their diagnosis. Yet, it's important to remember that someone with HPV can go on to live a regular life.
There is no good evidence that toilet seats, doorknobs, towels, soaps, swimming pools or hot tubs, can transmit HPV. However, some unexplained cases of HPV lesions do occur and one should never rule out the possibility of non-sexual transmission.
How are men tested for HPV? Men are typically screened clinically with a visual inspection to check for lesions (such as warts) – there is no specific way to test directly for HPV in men that is approved for clinical use.
It's best to disclose before sexual contact — any sexual contact. Herpes and HPV are both transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, which means that simply rubbing genitals together, even without penetration, can pass the virus from one person to another.