So You Got An Abnormal Pap. Now What?
How fast does HPV progress?
If you test positive for high-risk HPV and have abnormal cells, you probably want to know how fast that can turn into something else, if left unchecked. “That’s the tricky part,” says Dr. Johnson. “It may never progress to something else. It may remain at that level. It’s hard to say…if you get the mildest form…the ascus form…the odds of it progressing are unlikely. But if you have a high-grade or low-grade lesion, there is a higher chance of it progressing to cancer.”