HPV positive, but no sexual contact

Hi,

I am a 33-year-old woman and have only had sex once, 15 years ago. I have had no other (skin to skin) contact in the genital area either.
Recently I had a pap smear that included an HPV test and it came back positive for HPV 16, a very high-risk type of HPV. How can I have contracted this if HPV is sexually transmitted?
I find it quite disturbing that I have contracted such a high-risk type without any sexual or skin contact in the last 15 years.

[iGrief]

Could you have gotten it 15 years ago? If you have told your doctor your sexual history, you can try asking what might have caused this.

[vandykd3]

Your question is too nuanced for us here on this forum.  We are so far from experts that you won't get an educated response here from us.  HPV and woman is a large topic because women have so many factors and variables with their genitals and the HPV "incubation" period depends on many factors as well such as strain just to name on obvious one.  If you need to know, pay $20 on the ask an expert section or better yet, find a professional near you who specifially knows about HPV and women because the science has changed a lot in recent years with more research and there is a lot of info in the first place anyways.  Hope this helps.

[iGrief]

Actually I'd encourage her to see a live doctor and try to resolve this problem. Nothing can give more assurance than a physical manifestation of a medical consultant. But you cna try what vandykd3 suggest. He's a good guy, you are sure to be fine if you take his advice.

[Hollyv]

Was your Pap normal and HPV positive or was it abnormal and HPV positive? If your Pap was normal and you tested positive, it is possible that you had a false positive HPV test. If you have have had Pap tests regularly for the past 15 years that have been normal, it would be unusual for you to be HPV positive with no sexual contact.

[Lara_Di]

My Pap was normal and it's only the second Pap I ever had. The first was back in 2002 when they didn't do the HPV test yet, so this is the first time I was tested for HPV. I've heard it's unusual for it to stick around as long as 15 years, so if it's not a false positive I must have contracted it some other way. It's just the fact that it's type 16 that has me a little freaked, as it could also mean that my body hasn't been able to get rid of it for 15 years and this is the most dangerous type of HPV.

[Hollyv]

I tend to think that it is more probable that you had a false positive HPV test. It could be due to a number of reasons including lab error. Neither the Pap test or the HPV test is 100% accurate. That is the reason that Paps are done every 2 years and can pick up abnormalities early with repeated tests. The HPV test should really only be done with an abnormal Pap smear such as ASCUS. It is offered to women over 30 to be done with their annual Pap if they want. I’m not in favor of this approach and it is not offered in women under 30 with normal Pap smears due to the fact that many will be positive. You appear to be in a unique situation that you only had one sexual encounter. Even if you had acquired HPV in your one time encounter, it would be unusual that you did not clear the virus if you did not have any subsequent sexual encounters. Since your Pap was normal at approx. 24 years of age and is normal now, I would just repeat the Pap in 6-12 months and I would get my Pap results first after your next Pap and not have the lab reflex the HPV test off of the Pap specimen. If you really want an HPV test it is not recommended that you have one for a year. I would not worry and I would discuss this with your Ob/Gyn and if you do not get good information from your Dr. then get a second opinion.

One more thing, even if you are really HPV 16 positive (which I doubt) this does not mean you will get cervical cancer. The fact that your Pap is normal at the present means there is no dysplasia, which means there are no cell changes.

[Lara_Di]

Thank you so much for your answer.
I know a normal Pap result means you're not developing cervical cancer. I just found it even more frustrating to see "type 16" on the result sheet when I know my own sexual history (or lack thereof).
My GP did the Pap because I was experiencing irregular bleeding and pelvic pain. Maybe that's also why she ordered the HPV test. I found articles that say the HPV test is more reliable than the PAP smear and has a less than 1% chance of a false result.
I live in The Netherlands and over here you only see an Ob/Gyn if you're referred to one by your GP because of abnormailties. I convinced my GP to refer me because of my complaints, so I will see one soon and ask her what she thinks.
I agree with you and am also inclined to think it was a false positive. The only thing that has me slightly worried is that if it's not a false positive and it did stick around for over 15 years because my body can't get rid of it, it might turn into something else. But I guess with a normal Pap there's nothing to worry about at the moment.