How Long Can HPV Go Undetected?

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in America. According to the Mayo Clinic, nearly 20 million people in the U.S. already have the disease. There are more than 100 strains of HPV, and 15 of these types cause cervical cancer. According to a New York Times article, "Getting to Know a Virus, and When It Can Kill," two HPV strains, HPV 16 and 18, cause up to 60 percent of all cervical cancers. Oftentimes, if you have contracted the disease, you may never known until symptoms begin to manifest.

Facts

• According to the National Cervical Screening Program, HPV is such a common sexually transmitted disease, that four out of five people contract HPV at one point or another. At times the disease may clear up on its own, within one to two years of after exposure. However, if the virus remains within a woman's body without being detected, the virus can potentially lead to cervical cancer.

Symptoms

• HPV can be a difficult disease to detect. Since an infection can go undetected for years, you may never know you have it. The most noticeable symptoms are warts, which appear around the genitalia but can appear on other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, face, neck, elbows or knees. It may take months to years before these symptoms manifest.

Immunity

• In people who are healthy, especially young adults, the immune system can possibly clear out an HPV infection within months to two years. The aforementioned New York Times article cited a study of 608 sexually active women, whereby only 9 percent of these women were still infected with HPV after a two-year period. The remaining women had an HPV infection that lasted no more than eight months. If the virus is cleared from the body, no further complications from the HPV will occur. However, if the virus remains dormant and an infection is not cleared, there is a risk of women developing cancer of the cervix.

Cervical Cancer

• According to the National Cervical Screening Program, HPV can remain in the cells of the cervix for years. When this happens, the risk of cervical cancer increases since the virus was never cleared from the body. It can take more than ten years for the occurrence of cancer to develop, and you may never know that you had an HPV infection that caused the cancer. However, many women are capable of clearing out the virus from their body without ever developing cancer.

Prevention/Solution

• When being sexually active, use a condom. According to the Mayo Clinic, while using a condom may not prevent the transmission of many HPV viruses, it can protect against some. If you're sexually active, try to be monogamous, or limit your number of sexual partners. Gardisil is a vaccine that can protect against HPV. It is recommended for girls to start receiving the vaccine at the age of 11, or before you become sexually active. Currently, there isn't a vaccination available for men or boys against the HPV virus.