HPV is one of the most common infections people can get, and yet it’s not something we hear many people talking about. We’re happy enough chatting away about common viruses like colds and the flu, so why is there so little conversation about HPV?

You may have heard about HPV, human papillomavirus, as the virus linked to cancer. Cervical cancer is the type most strongly linked to HPV infection, but HPV can also cause cancer of the anus, penis, vagina and vulva, and some types of mouth and throat cancers. But although HPV can cause cancer, having HPV doesn’t mean you have or will definitely get cancer.

Although not everyone will be comfortable talking to their friends or partners about HPV, our Cancer Research UK nurses have received lots of questions from people worried about what HPV is, and what having HPV means for their health, their partner’s health and very often, their sex life.

You’ve asked, and we’ve answered.

Is HPV a sexually transmitted infection? 

HPV is a really common virus – most of us will have HPV at some point in our lifetime without it causing any harm. A lot of lot of the time, we won’t even know we’ve got it. 

HPV lives in the skin and the cells lining the inside of our body, so it can pass between people through close skin to skin contact, often during sex. This includes penetrative vaginal and anal sex, oral sex, touching and using sex toys with a partner, such as vibrators or butt plugs.   

Labelling HPV as an STI isn’t particularly helpful in a lot of cases. It prompts questions like ‘where did I get it?’ or ‘who gave it to me?’, when, in reality, that’s not how it works and only adds to the reasons why we don’t want to talk about it.  

Having HPV isn’t something to be ashamed of, and it’s not a sign that you or your partner have been unfaithful. Having HPV is just a totally normal part of life. 

How did I get HPV and can I get rid of it?

Now that we know how HPV can be passed between people, let’s talk a bit more about how the virus works.   

HPV has a ‘dormancy’ period, which means that it spends time in the body without causing any harm. This is usually a couple of years, although it can stretch to decades.   

Dormant HPV can’t be detected by a test, but it can become active later. When this happens, some types of HPV may be detected during cervical screening. This can sometimes explain why HPV can seem to appear between screenings. It’s not necessarily that you have had a new HPV infection but that it’s been dormant in your cells.  

It’s hard to know how long an infection has been there if it’s been dormant, so there’s usually no point trying to work out where you ‘got’ HPV. 

There’s no cure for HPV but most of the time our body’s immune system does the job and clears up the infection by itself before it’s done any harm. It’s only when certain types, or strains, of HPV can’t be cleared up by our body that damage can happen to our cells.

Cervical screening monitors for infections with these high-risk strains of HPV. It can show whether you have HPV, whether a previous infection has cleared since your last screening appointment, or whether HPV has caused the cells in the cervix to change.

If screening doesn’t find high-risk HPV, you’ll be invited back in five years if you live in England, Wales or Scotland and are still eligible. If high-risk HPV is found but there are no cell changes, you’ll usually be invited for another screening appointment a year later. In this time, most people will clear HPV from their body naturally.

If high-risk HPV is found with cell changes this does not mean you have cancer. But you may be monitored or have treatment to remove the abnormal cells. This can help to prevent cervical cancer from developing.

If I’ve had HPV once, can I get it again? 

There are over a hundred different types, or strains, of HPV and around 14 of these are linked to cancer. So, it’s possible to have multiple infections and you might have different strains of HPV picked up at cervical screening over the years. 

What the science is less clear on is reinfection – getting the same strain of HPV again. 

Our immune system generally works by recognising something that’s not right – like an infection – and building an immunity to stop it happening again. But some studies have shown that our natural immunity against HPV isn’t very good, so it can be possible to have the same infection again. 

There’s still lots of research to be done to understand this properly and whether reinfection could happen between partners.  

Does my partner have it and how can I protect them? 

It can be difficult to know whether a partner has HPV because it often causes no symptoms and most people are never tested for it. The NHS does not offer testing for HPV apart from as part of the national cervical screening programme. 

There are some ways to reduce the risk of getting or passing on HPV, but it’s important to remember that it’s a very common virus and it’s normal to have it at points in your life.   

As HPV is passed between people during close skin to skin contact, barrier methods like condoms and dental dams can reduce risk, but they don’t work perfectly. Having HPV doesn’t mean you need to stop having sex with your partner, but sexual health and consent is always important to talk about with any sexual partners.  

With all that said, try not to worry about it too much. Even though HPV infection itself is common, it leading to cancer isn’t. Most people will have an HPV infection at some point in their life but only a small amount of people will develop a cancer linked to HPV.   

Can I give HPV to my kids? 

HPV can be passed between mother and child during pregnancy or delivery, but it’s not very likely. And if it does happen, usually the infection clears up by itself and there are no issues for the child.   

There’s more research needed to understand the transmission between mother and child. HPV can also be passed through breastfeeding, but this is very rare and shouldn’t be a reason not to breastfeed. If it’s something you’re concerned about, talk to your doctor or midwife.

Should I get the HPV vaccine?

HPV vaccination is an important part of reducing the number of people with high-risk HPV and in turn, the number of people who develop HPV related cancers. In the UK, all children between the ages of 11 and 13 are offered the HPV vaccine, usually as part of the school vaccination programme. Children who do not attend school can get the vaccine via their GP.

Vaccines work by reducing the risk of getting an infection; they’re not designed to get rid of an infection that is already there. The vaccine programme includes children of this age because it’s likely to be before any exposure to HPV, which makes the vaccine work better. Once a person has been exposed to HPV, the vaccine becomes less effective.

You can request a vaccine for free up to the age for 25 if you didn’t have one when you were offered it. Talk to your GP, school nurse, or school immunisation team about this. The vaccine is also available to men who have sex with men, and some transgender people up to 45 through sexual health clinics. You can pay to have the vaccine privately if don’t meet these criteria, but the vaccine may not be effective if you’ve already been exposed to the virus, which most of us have been when we’re adults.

Should I take part in cervical screening? 

Cervical screening is one of the best ways to prevent cervical cancer from developing and saves thousands of lives every year. It’s available for women, some transgender men and some non-binary people aged between 25 and 64.

Cervical screening involves a small sample of cells being taken from the cervix by a nurse or doctor, which is tested for high-risk HPV. If high-risk HPV is found, the sample is checked for abnormal cell changes, which can then be monitored and treated before they have a chance to become cancerous.

NHS England has recently announced that some people will now be able to take part in the cervical screening programme by doing their own HPV test at home. This is called HPV self-testing, and it’s being rolled out gradually to some 30 to 65-year-olds who have not taken up cervical screening after being invited. It’s still best to have cervical screening done by a nurse or doctor if possible. But HPV self-testing is one way of reducing barriers to help more people take part in the cervical screening programme.

It’s important to consider taking part in cervical screening whether you have had the HPV vaccination or not. This is because the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV.

It’s also important to remember that cancer screening is for people without symptoms. If you notice anything that isn’t normal for you, or think you might have symptoms of cervical cancer, don’t wait for your screening invite – tell your doctor.

Though sometimes some of the science is complicated, what having HPV means shouldn’t be – it’s normal! It’s hard to just ‘not worry’, but there’s not much you can do about your HPV status and having regular cervical screening is a really effective way of preventing cervical cancer.

While many of us may have hang-ups about sex, don’t let HPV be one of them.