Hello, I've just been told I have tested positive for HPV. I've been with the same partner for 21 years and never cheated. I'm so confused as to how I've caught it. Any advice?
Hi, it depends of the type of HPV strain you have. For many strains, people develop antibodies and eliminate the virus from their system. For the wart type strain, only a very small number keep the virus for life.
However, strains that lead to cervival cancer (16 and 18) can take 10 to 20 or more years to develop. Luckily, routine smear tests prevent 100% of cervical cancer.
I’m sure you’ll be fine and I wouldn’t suspect any infidelity from your partner yet.