How HPV Can Play Out Over Your Lifetime

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Why does that combination matter?

What your doctor is looking for is the possibility that a high-risk strain of HPV is presenting symptoms. Symptoms, in the case of a high-risk strain, involve changes to your cervical cells. If those changes are occurring, that results in an abnormal pap smear. Remember that you can have inactive HPV. That’s not so much a concern. If you have tested positive for it, but your pap smear is normal, okay – your doctor says “Nothing needs to happen.” They know the HPV is there, but it’s not currently doing anything. If you have an abnormal pap but test negative for high-risk HPV, your doctor may want you to come back sooner for another pap, but that’s it – they’re relieved to find that HPV cannot be the cause of your cell changes because you tested negative for it. But that combination of abnormal pap smear plus high-risk HPV could mean your HPV is changing the cells on your cervix, which can put you at risk for cervical cancer.