I recently had a pap smear done with HPV testing. My results were negative for malignancy but positive for High Risk HPV. My last HPV test was seven years ago and negative. I am free of other STIs but didn't get tested for HPV again until now. Should I disclose my HPV positive result to my current partner? I am wondering if it will do more than good given that most people either have or already have had HPV.  I have been sexually active with my partner in a monogamous relationship for about a month. My previous sexual partner was 2.5 years ago. I know there is no real method of certainty to determine who gave me the HPV. But, would I have cleared the infection already if my previous partner of 2.5 years ago gave it to me? To add another layer of complication, I had cervical dysplasia in college about 20 years ago but was never told it was from HPV. I asked my gynecologist at the time repeatedly if it was due to HPV but he said all we know is you have cervical dysplasia and we will treat it with cryosurgery. I was frustrated with his response but was 20 years old and just let it go. Could I have a longstanding HPV infection that is reoccurring or new infections? I appreciate your responses to my questions. I am mainly concerned about whether or not to disclose this to my partner. Thank you.

Welcome to our forum and thanks for your question. I’ll be glad to comment. Your summary indicates a good understanding of HPV infections.  Unlike questions regarding test accuracy or treatment, there is no perfect answer to questions related to disclosure regarding HPV infections.  ---

Thank you for your reply! You are correct about our ages. I understand about HPV and really not bothered by it. I am curious about it though. I am wondering also if I have a longstanding HPV infection or if this is completely different from my previous cervical dysplasia 20 years ago. I cleared it years ago and my last sexual partner was 2.5 years ago. I am assuming (of course I cannot know for sure) if I would have already cleared it again from my previous partner. I have only been with my new partner a month. We have had  unprotected sex about 6 or 7 times.  I know these are a lot of what ifs. I am a little confused about this recent diagnosis. My partner is in the medical field, and I think he would be understanding. Is it possible he passed this recent infection on to me?  I am trying to gather my thoughts before having a conversation with him. Thanks again. 

The questions you were asking are good ones but are also very difficult to answer, particularly for any individual.  While there are no absolutes, it is rather unlikely that the HPV infection recently detected reflects a long-standing infection which led to your earlier diagnosis of dysplasia which subsequently cleared.  We know that most HPV infections resolve over time but we also know that a small proportion of them may persist for long periods. 20 years would be quite unusual.---

No worries. I appreciate the clarification. Since you wrote that a HPV infection to be apparent after a month is early on average, how long before a HPV infection is apparent? And, how long before a HPV infection can be detected on a pap test/pap, HPV co-test? Thanks again,

The data to answer your question are not very good. The general sense is that HPV infections would be detectable at about three months following infection. This figure, of course, is an estimate and reflects the amount of time that it would take for the virus to cause an infection and replicate to the point at which it is detectable by an HPV test.  Infections would be detectable using in HPV test before they went on to cause dysplasia.---