How HPV Can Play Out Over Your Lifetime
- By
Julia Austin
Source: Westend61 / Getty
You can contract multiple strains
In my early 20s, I tested positive for one of the low-risk strains of HPV. That would be a strain that is not associated with causing cervical cancer. Now, a decade later, I’ve tested positive for one of the high-risk strains – a strain highly associated with cervical cancer.
“But I already had HPV! They found it. It wasn’t one of the high-risk strains,” I told my doctor. Doesn’t matter. As previously mentioned, you can contract multiple strains of HPV in your lifetime. That makes this PSA very important: if you have tested positive for a low-risk strain of HPV, but not a high-risk strain, it is still worth it to get the vaccine, which protects against high-risk strains.
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