How do you know if you have HPV?

NHS guidance says most people who have HPV do not realise it, because the infection usually causes no symptoms and does not cause problems in most people. There is often no visible or physical sign that would tell someone they have it.

A person can have the virus for many years without it causing problems, including after a long period without sexual activity or a new partner. For many people the body clears the virus within 2 years, although it can sometimes remain in the body for longer.

Some types can cause genital warts, while some high-risk types can cause abnormal changes in cells that can sometimes develop into cancer. Cancers linked with high-risk HPV include cervical, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancer, as well as some types of head and neck cancer. Having HPV itself, though, usually does not result in symptoms or problems.

If you have a symptom that concerns you, or you are unsure about a change in your body, a sexual health clinic, GP or pharmacist can help you decide what kind of assessment may be appropriate. Our overview of how sexually transmitted infections actually present covers the wider picture.

NHS guidance explains that HPV affects the skin and areas including the inside of the mouth, throat, vagina and anus. Many types affect the mouth, throat or genital area and can be passed on easily.

You do not need to have penetrative sex to get HPV. It can be passed through skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, through vaginal, anal or oral sex, and through sharing sex toys — the same routes covered in our page on STI risk from oral sex. This is the same reason condoms reduce rather than remove the risk: NHS guidance says they can help protect you against HPV but do not cover all the skin around the genitals.

Because HPV commonly causes no symptoms, people may have it without knowing. NHS guidance also makes clear that a person does not need to have had sexual contact with many people to get HPV, and that it is possible to get HPV the first time they have sex.

It can also be difficult to know when HPV was acquired. Someone may have had the virus for years without symptoms or problems. If questions about transmission are causing worry, a sexual health clinic, GP or pharmacist can give individual guidance rather than leaving you to guess at a timeline.

There is no general blood test for HPV. NHS guidance states that HPV testing takes place as part of cervical screening, where a small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and tested for HPV.

Cervical screening is offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64, and its purpose is to help protect against cervical cancer. It is therefore important not to skip screening invitations when they are offered, including for someone who has had the HPV vaccine.

Cervical screening should not be understood as a general HPV test for everyone. The testing described in NHS guidance is part of the cervical screening programme and involves cells taken from the cervix. There is no equivalent routine blood test that can simply tell anyone whether they have HPV somewhere in the body. That is a different question from what a standard STI screen covers.

If you are worried about HPV but are not sure whether cervical screening or another assessment is relevant to you, a sexual health clinic, GP or pharmacist can explain which services apply in your circumstances.

Some HPV types can cause genital warts. NHS guidance describes these as small, rough lumps that can appear around the vagina, penis or anus. They may appear alone or in a group, can feel soft or firm, and may be white, red, skin-coloured or darker than the surrounding skin.

Genital warts do not usually cause symptoms, although they can sometimes be painful, itchy or bleed. They can take a few weeks or months to appear after sex with someone who is infected, and it may not be possible to work out who they came from or how long the infection has been present.

NHS guidance advises attending a sexual health clinic if you have one or more painless lumps or growths around the vagina, penis or anus, itching or bleeding from the genitals or anus, a lasting change to the normal flow of urine, or a sexual partner who has genital warts. A doctor or nurse at a sexual health clinic can usually diagnose genital warts by looking at them.

Treatment is not always needed, because genital warts can sometimes disappear on their own within 6 months. If treatment is recommended it must be prescribed by a doctor and will depend on what the warts look like and where they are. Anyone worried about a lump, growth, itch, bleeding or another change should speak to a clinic, GP or pharmacist rather than trying to identify the cause themselves. Our page on HPV and what it can lead to goes into more detail.

The HPV vaccine protects against the HPV types that cause most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers. It does not protect against every type of HPV, which is why vaccination and cervical screening have different roles.

The NHS offers the HPV vaccine to all children aged 12 to 13, in school year 8. People who missed it at that age may still be eligible later: it is available free on the NHS for girls aged 24 and under until their 25th birthday, and for boys born after 1 September 2006 until their 25th birthday.

The vaccine is also offered in some circumstances to people at higher risk from HPV. That includes gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men who are aged 45 or under and attend a sexual health or HIV clinic, with eligibility until their 46th birthday. NHS guidance says it is also sometimes recommended for other people at higher risk, including some transgender people, sex workers and people with HIV.

Cervical screening remains important after vaccination, because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV types and NHS guidance says there is still a small chance of developing cervical cancer. Anyone unsure about vaccine eligibility or screening can ask a GP, sexual health clinic, school nurse, school vaccination team or pharmacist.