Should I tell my current or past sexual partners about my positive HPV test?

Depending on your relationship and comfort level, it may feel ok to discuss your results with your sexual partner(s), but you are not required to do this. Most people in long-term relationships will share HPV, and nearly all sexually active people will get HPV at some point in their lives. It is often impossible to know who gave you HPV, and it does not mean that your partner was unfaithful.

While we know that the HPV is transmitted during skin-to-skin contact, we also know that the virus can lie dormant in your body for years and cause no symptoms. So, an HPV infection could be from years prior rather than recent exposure.

Men can be at risk for different types of cancer from high-risk HPV infections (including penile, anal, and throat cancers), but currently we do not have a system in place to routinely test men for HPV aside from certain high risk groups.