• About Pap tests or Pap smears
• Who should have Pap tests or Pap smears?
• The human papillomavirus (HPV)
• What is HPV?
• How is HPV linked to cervical cancer?
• How do I know if I have HPV?
• How is HPV treated?
• Your partner and HPV
• The cervical cancer vaccine
• Abnormal Pap test (or Pap smear) results and treatment
• Cervical cancer

Your partner and HPV

It's your decision whether to tell your partner you have HPV (i.e. you have had an abnormal Pap test) or not. If you have genital warts, you may choose to discuss this with your partner as he/she is at risk of developing them as well, and they can be treated.

It's possible to have HPV for a long time without ever knowing it, sometimes as a result of sexual activity many years ago. Finding out you have HPV doesn't necessarily mean you or your partner has been unfaithful.

If you do decide to tell your partner you have HPV, it might help to include these points:

• HPV is very common in women and men who have ever had sex. Four out of five people will have HPV at some point in their lives and most won't even know it.
  
  
• There is no treatment for HPV. In most cases, HPV leaves the body naturally. If genital warts occur due to HPV, they can be treated.
  
  
• You can have HPV for a long time without ever knowing it, sometimes due to sexual activity many years ago.
  
  
• It is difficult to know who gave you the virus, both because the virus is so common and because it can remain dormant in cells for more than 10 years, then become active at any time.
  
  
• There is no reason to stop having sex because you have HPV.

For more advice about how HPV affects you and your partner, you can call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20, or talk to your doctor, nurse or sexual health clinic. 

 

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