Hi,

I was just diagnosed with genital warts today, however was also diagnosed Aug. 2005 with HPV (high risk/ no warts) but have had 2 recent normal paps within the last year.

1) the R.N.P. that i saw today said i only need to have a pap done annually, however given my history shoud i start having them done every 6 mo. instead?

2) would it be necessary to request a DNA test to determine if the HPV associated with my warts is a high risk type?

3) would it be necessary or reccomended that i get a colposcopy to make sure that i do not have any lesions/ warts on my vaginal walls or cervix?

4) how come when i tested for hpv last mo. my tests came out negative and pap normal if i have been exposed to it for the past 8 months. (length of time me and my partner have been sexually active)?

Just want to say thanks for the work and information you are providing here, nice to know understanding people are around to help.

Hello and welcome to our message boards.

1) Health care providers (HCPs) are often comfortable with women diagnosed with cervical cell changes returning to annual Pap tests once they have had several consecutive, normal Pap test readings.

2) Genital warts are almost always associated with "low risk" HPV types. HPV DNA testing is not currently licensed for use other than to screen the cervix, and generally isn't considered necessary to confirm a visual diagnosis of external genital warts.

3) Colposcopy is typically not done with women who currently have normal Pap test readings/negative HPV test results.

4) Pap tests and HPV tests are screening tools for the cervix. Paps don't indicate the presence of HPV directly, as they look specifically for abnormalities of the cervix (and thus are not "looking" for external genital warts, for example). HPV tests, similarly, also are used clinically to screen the cervix specifically: keep in mind, too, that most of the time women only receive the "high risk" panel with HPV tests, so these tests usually don't include a "low risk" panel.

Ask your HCP to sort this out for your specific case, especially with regard to how often he/she wants you to return for follow up exams.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

thanks and yes the information was helpful. are there any good websites and/or resources you could point me too that discuss the new research/ studies/ and meds coming out re: hpv, infection, symptoms, transmission, etc.?