Human papillomavirus (pap-uh-LOH-muh-veye-ruhss), or HPV, is the name for a group of viruses that includes more than 100 types. More than 40 types of HPV can be passed through sexual contact.
The types of HPV that infect the genital area are called genital HPV. Over half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives. But most people never know it. This is because HPV most often has no symptoms and goes away on its own.
Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. About 20 million Americans ages 15 to 49 currently have HPV. And at least half of all sexually active men and women get genital HPV at some time in their lives.
Some types of HPV can cause cervical cancer. These types of HPV are called high-risk. Having high-risk HPV is not the same as having cervical cancer. But high-risk HPV can lead to cancer. Most often, high-risk HPV causes no health problems and goes away on its own. High-risk HPV cases that don’t go away are the biggest risk factor for cervical cancer. If you have high-risk HPV, your doctor can look for changes on your cervix during Pap tests. Changes can be treated to try to prevent cervical cancer. Be sure to have regular Pap tests so changes can be found early.
Low-risk HPV can cause genital warts. Warts can form weeks, months, or years after sexual contact with an infected person. In women genital warts can grow:In men, genital warts can grow:
Rarely, genital warts grow in the mouth or throat of a person who had oral sex with an infected person.
The size of genital warts varies. Some are so small you can't see them. They can be flat and flesh-colored or look bumpy like cauliflower. They often form in clusters or groups. They may itch, burn, or cause discomfort.
Low-risk HPV doesn’t always cause warts. In fact, most people with low-risk HPV never know they are infected. This is because they don't get warts or any other symptoms.
Genital HPV is passed by skin-to-skin and genital contact. It is most often passed during vaginal and anal sex. Although much less common, it is possible to pass HPV during oral sex or hand to genital contact.
It depends on your age and whether or not you already have had sex.
Two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) can protect girls and young women against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. The vaccines work best when given before a person's first sexual contact, when she could be exposed to HPV. Both vaccines are recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls. But the vaccines also can be used in girls as young as 9 and in women through age 26 who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. These vaccines are given in a series of 3 shots. It is best to use the same vaccine brand for all 3 doses. Ask your doctor which brand vaccine is best for you. The vaccine does not replace the need to wear condoms to lower your risk of getting other types of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Women who have had the HPV vaccine still need to have regular Pap tests.
Studies are also being done on HPV vaccines for males.
Most women who have HPV infections never know it. This is one reason why you need regular Pap tests. A Pap test is when a cell sample is taken from your cervix and looked at with a microscope.
A Pap test can find changes on the cervix caused by HPV. To do a Pap test, your doctor will use a small brush to take cells from your cervix. It’s simple, fast, and the best way to find out if your cervix is healthy.
If you are age 30 or older, your doctor may also do an HPV test with your Pap test. This is a DNA test that detects most of the high-risk types of HPV. It helps with cervical cancer screening. If you’re younger than 30 years old and have had an abnormal Pap test result, your doctor may give you an HPV test. This test will show if HPV caused the abnormal cells on your cervix.
One other way to tell if you have an HPV infection is if you have genital warts. (See What is the difference between the high-risk and low-risk types of HPV? for more details.)Yes. There are three reasons why:
Follow these guidelines:
An abnormal result does not mean you have HPV or cervical cancer. Other reasons for an abnormal Pap test result include:
If your Pap test is abnormal, your doctor may do the test again. You may also have an HPV test or these tests:
Yes. You can have HPV but still have a normal Pap test. Changes on your cervix may not show up right away; or they may never appear. For women older than 30 who get an HPV test and a Pap test, a negative result on both the Pap and HPV tests means no cervical changes or HPV were found on the cervix. This means you have a very low chance of getting cervical cancer in the next few years.
No. There is no cure for the virus HPV. But there are treatments for the changes HPV can cause on the cervix. Genital warts can also be treated. Sometimes, the virus goes away on its own.
If you have abnormal cells on the cervix, follow up with your doctor. If the problem is mild, your doctor may wait to see if the cells heal on their own. Or your doctor may suggest taking out the abnormal tissue. Treatment options include:
After these treatments, you may have:
After treatment, follow up with your doctor to see if any abnormal cells come back.
Genital warts can be treated or not treated.
Some people may want warts taken off if they cause itching, burning, and discomfort. Others may want to clear up warts you can see with the eye.
If you decide to have warts removed, do not use over-the-counter medicines meant for other kinds of warts. There are special treatments for genital warts. Your doctor may treat the warts by putting on a chemical in the office. Or your doctor may prescribe a cream you can apply at home. Surgery is also an option. Your doctor may:
Even when warts are treated, the HPV virus may remain. This is why warts can come back after treatment. It isn’t clear if treating genital warts lowers a person's chance of giving HPV to a sex partner. It is not fully known why low-risk HPV causes genital warts in some cases and not in others.
If left untreated, genital warts may:HPV is as common in men as in women. HPV rarely causes severe health problems in men. But it can lead to anal cancer in men who have sex with men. There is no test for HPV in men.
Using condoms may reduce the risk of getting genital warts and cervical cancer. But condoms don’t always protect you from HPV. The best ways to protect yourself from HPV are to:
Yes. There are many types of HPV, so you can get HPV again.
Even if you think the warts have gone away, there may be some you can’t see. And even after the warts are treated, the HPV virus may remain. Using condoms may reduce your risk of passing on genital warts.
Most women who had genital warts, but no longer have them, do not have problems during pregnancy or birth. For women who have genital warts during pregnancy, the warts may grow or become larger and bleed. In rare cases, a pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during vaginal delivery. Rarely, a baby who is exposed to HPV gets warts in the throat or voice box.
If the warts block the birth canal, a woman may need to have a cesarean section (C-section) delivery. But HPV infection or genital warts are not sole reasons for a C-section.
While there are no sure ways to prevent cervical cancer, you can lower your risk by:
For more information about human papillomavirus (HPV) and genital warts, call womenshealth.gov at 800-994-9662 (TDD: 888-220-5446) or contact the following organizations:
Content last updated July 16, 2012.
Resources last updated January 01, 2009.