Recognising HPV symptoms

HPV is very common and most of us will have an HPV infection at some point in our lives.

The HPV virus is good at "hiding" and a person usually won't know if they have or have not got HPV. Being a carrier of HPV without any symptoms is common and normal as the majority of people with HPV don't know they have it.

A person will know if they have HPV if they have visible genital warts or if they have a positive HPV test result as part of cervical screening. Those tests are still limited in terms of which HPV types they test for.

If an HPV test is positive, it means that a person has one of the high-risk types of HPV. There will then usually be further testing in discussion with your healthcare provider.
If this HPV test is negative, it means that the high-risk types of HPV being tested for were not detectable.

HPV tests used for cervical screening are geared to high-risk HPV types and these do not include all the types of HPV.

Unfortunately, there is no test for HPV in either males or females that will test for all the types of HPV. This means that HPV testing is not part of a routine sexual health check up.

Two women wearing green recycling t-shirts holding a wooden crate filled with recyclable cans and containers.

Cervical screening

This information regarding cervical screening applies to all people with a cervix (regardless of their gender identity).

It is recommended that any person aged 25 to 69 with a cervix should have regular cervical screening every five years. It is important to have these regular cervical screenings regardless of your gender identity and the gender identity of your sexual partners. It is safe to undergo cervical screening while pregnant.

As of September 2023, the primary test under the National Cervical Screening Programme is an HPV test, with the option of self-testing. This is a better first test for the prevention of cervical cancer.

Having a positive HPV test does not mean you will have or will get cancer. After a positive test you can be monitored by colposcopy through the cervical screening programme. This ensures that if abnormal cells are detected they can be treated, if necessary, well before they may ever develop into cancer.

What is the process for cervical screening?

While cervical screening previously involved a clinician using a speculum to complete a smear test, for most people this will no longer be necessary with changes to the National Cervical Screening Programme.

The HPV test can be done as a simple vaginal swab. You can choose whether you would like to do a self-test or have the swab performed by a clinician. Even when self-testing, this will need to be done by visiting a healthcare provider. In some instances, such as if you are immune deficient, a smear test may still be recommended and you can discuss this with your healthcare provider.

This test can be done through your GP, Family Planning, sexual health services, and community health services.

It is from a cervical smear that most people usually find out that they have HPV, however, others will find out because they have developed genital warts. It is impossible to know how HPV is transmitted to any particular person even through cervical screening.

Woman wearing a green volunteer shirt holding a yellow recycling bag filled with plastic waste.

What is the new HPV screening test?

In September 2023, a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) screening test became the new method for cervical screening in Aotearoa New Zealand. This test is for the high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HrHPV) types which may lead to cell changes that could cause cervical cancer. Most positive HrHPV tests never develop into cancer.

In most cases, this new HPV test replaces the need for a speculum examination (known as a pap smear) as part of cervical screening. The HPV test can be done as a simple vaginal swab. You can choose whether you would like to do a self-test or have the swab performed by a clinician.

What does your positive test really mean?

Having a positive HrHPV test does not mean you will have or will get cancer. After a positive test you can be monitored by colposcopy through the cervical screening programme. This ensures that if abnormal cells are detected they can be treated, if necessary, well before they may ever develop into cancer.

What does this mean for your sex life past, present and future?

Unless you have been vaccinated before becoming sexually active, you are likely to have been exposed to the genital HPVs. Sometimes called the common cold of STIs, HPV is a virus that most of us will having during our lifetime.
The vaccine protects against nine different subtypes of the virus, so even with vaccination there is still a risk of exposure to HPV. However, most HPV types are asymptomatic and/or have no/low risk of causing cervical cell changes. The vaccine protects you against the most common low-risk and high-risk types.
You may have HPV for years without it causing any problems. How and when you got HPV doesn't matter as it is rarely possible to know.
A positive HrHPV test does not mean you need to change who you sleep with or what you do with them sexually.

What should male partners do if you have a positive high-risk HPV test?

There are no diagnostic or screening tests for HrHPV for males. There is no need to do anything.