Hi Sarah,

I'm not an expert but I think that HPV can stay dormant in the body for years, so it could have been transmitted early in your life and never given any signals it was there. HPV is serious because it can cause cancer of the uterus.

You say your smear test didn't show any abnormal cells, so that means all is good and healthy, you don't have cancer. But since HPV can lead to cancer, you have a high risk of developing it in future, but it doesn't mean that you will. Some people do others don't.

I don't know how quick the HPV could develop into cancer but if you do a test every year you should be OK, please check with a nurse or doctor. I don't know if it is possible to cure HPV completely. There is a vaccine for tens now, but that was not the case years ago.

If you are not happy with your doctor's advice you have the right to seek a second opinion. The Macmillan Trust can also help with medical advice, they have a free phone line. Or you could ring the number below to ask the nurses here more questions.

Hope this is helpful. All the best!

Hi Sarah I think this new HPV testing is going to throw up at lot of this and all though we're told not to worry it's so difficult not to! 
I've just had the same. I had a smear test recently after not having one for quite a while and came back high risk HPV positive with normal cells. My husband and I have been together for 42 years and neither of us has been with anyone else. So it's been with me for 42 years!

My smear test was done privately and I was able to find out that it wasn't strain 16 or 18 HPV (these two strains cause 70% of all cervical cancers) when I asked. It is worth asking your doctor if they can find out this information for you. 
I feel too that if my body hasn't cleared it by now there ain't no way it's going to clear it in the next couple of years!  I'm fast approaching 64 the age when they stop screening and as no one can assure me that the virus will never start causing me harm I'm going to have this worry in the back of my mind for the rest of my life!

I really don't think they've thought through the worry and anxiety this test is going to bring probably to thousands of women that are going to be in this situation. 

Hi Sarah I think this new HPV testing is going to throw up at lot of this and all though we're told not to worry it's so difficult not to! 
I've just had the same. I had a smear test recently after not having one for quite a while and came back high risk HPV positive with normal cells. My husband and I have been together for 42 years and neither of us has been with anyone else. So it's been with me for 42 years!

My smear test was done privately and I was able to find out that it wasn't strain 16 or 18 HPV (these two strains cause 70% of all cervical cancers) when I asked. It is worth asking your doctor if they can find out this information for you. 
I feel too that if my body hasn't cleared it by now there ain't no way it's going to clear it in the next couple of years!  I'm fast approaching 64 the age when they stop screening and as no one can assure me that the virus will never start causing me harm I'm going to have this worry in the back of my mind for the rest of my life!

I really don't think they've thought through the worry and anxiety this test is going to bring probably to thousands of women that are going to be in this situation.