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HPV and abnormal pap smear result

Hi, I am a 28 year old female who has been in a committed relationship with my partner for almost 3 years. We have a healthy and active sex life with each other, often not using condoms as I am on the pill and we have each had screenings for STI/STDs and have been given the all clear when our relationship began.  

Yesterday, I was quite shocked to learn that I had some abnormal cell changes on my cervix as a result of HPV. The doc has told me that my body should clear this up within the next year. I am more rather shocked about learning that I have HPV and am curious on how I would of caught it as we have been very careful in the regard of safe sex - I want to know more about its transmissions and how early it can be detected. My last pap smear was 2 years previous and was all clear.

I have only had one other sexual partner and a total sex history of 2 counts of intercourse (with condom) and one count of oral sex which I performed on him. This happened when I was aged 23 - bit of a late bloomer. This was about 2 and a half years before my first and previous clear pap smear (which was clear) before this one.  

My partner has also only one female partner before me and the relationship ended a number of years before ours began. I have been told that they often didn't use a condom due to her being on the pill. Given that I had a clear pap smear 2 and a half years after intercourse with my previous sexual partner, would this be an indication that my current partner was the carrier of the HPV and transmitted it to myself as the HPV should of become detectable by the time of my last pap smear or my body should of rid itself of the virus a year or so after my first sexual experience? Or is there know way to tell who gave it to who, as it can remain dormant for more than 2 years?

Please, interested to know your feedback.

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Avatar universal
No, you cannot tell who gave it to you. You cannot play detective with this virus. It can remain dormant for years or decades. Usually an infection is from a recent (2-8 month) sexual activity. But there are exceptions where people get a positive result years later. Since men cannot be tested besides a biopsy of a wart, they have no idea if they have it or not. But this doesn't mean that he infected you. There have been women on here who posted about getting a positive result after being married to men for many years who they believed didn't cheat on them. Their first thought is that their husband or current partner infected them. Although that is statistically true, it isn't always the case.

The virus never leaves the body based on everything that I have read.  Making it dormant does not mean it leaves. It just becomes non-detectable (very low levels) on the tests that women can take. Since men cannot be tested, they have no idea when it has become dormant.

From this point on, you two share the same strains of the virus. If you two have sex with anyone else, you may infect them. Going dorman may last forever or not. No one knows. You two can have all of the unsafe sex you want with each other for the rest of your lives because you cannot re-infect each other. Good luck!
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