How come I have an HPV infection now when my last screening result was normal?

HPV is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity and can remain dormant in the body for many years. So, an abnormal result, after several years of normal results, is not necessarily a sign of a new infection (although it can be).

An existing HPV infection, even one from many years ago, can reappear based on (often natural) changes in your immune system. In most cases, your body’s immune system will clear an HPV infection on its own, without any treatment. However, HPV infections that don’t go away completely can be more or less detectable over time, depending on how your immune system is doing. When your immune system is stressed or compromised, an HPV infection from many years ago can reappear, even if you had many ‘normal’ results in the years between. Other viruses also behave this way, like chickenpox, which can reactivate later in life to cause shingles.

This is why it is critical to stay up to date on your routine cervical cancer screening to keep an eye on how any HPV infections are changing over time. You can also discuss how your HPV result may or may not impact your sexual partner(s) with your Teal provider during your follow-up appointment.

Read more about the different ways HPV can show up in your body, and how this can change over time.