How to Test for HPV Treatment

A suspicion of HPV (human papillomavirus) for yourself or your partner requires the confirmation of that diagnosis by a medical professional. A doctor can help identify if the strain of virus you carry is the strain that causes cancer. Confirming an HPV diagnosis will aid in treatment of the virus as well as give you the means to control the contagion of the virus.

Instructions

Your HPV Test

• 1

  Make a list of symptoms you (or your partner) are experiencing.

• 2

  Schedule an appointment with a well-informed medical professional.

• 3

  While at your appointment, advise the doctor of the symptoms you (or your partner) are experiencing.

• 4

  The doctor will do an external and internal physical examination to visually look for warts that could be caused by HPV.

• 5

  According to the Mayo Clinic, the best means to determine HPV infections is the pap test. Therefore, during the examination, the doctor may use a swab on the areas he feels may contain the virus. If it is suspected that HPV is in the throat, a laryngoscopy or bronchoscopy may be performed.

• 6

  If warts are not present but HPV is still suspected, your doctor may apply a vinegar solution (acetic acid) to your skin. This can help detect flat warts, but is not 100 percent accurate.

• 7

  If HPV can not be confirmed through an examination, a biopsy may be performed.

• 8

  Once HPV is confirmed, a treatment plan will be discussed which could include one of several options: cryotherapy, the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze the cells; Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), the use of an electrical current to painlessly remove the cells; or conization, a biopsy to remove the cells. Your doctor may also advise you to do nothing; many cases of HPV will go away on their own as your body's immune system fights the virus.