How to Diagnose HPV

By eHow Health Editor

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The human papilloma virus (HPV) affects millions of sexually active women each year. Since HPV often shows no symptoms, you will most likely not be able to diagnose the virus yourself. You will need to go to a doctor to be tested whether you feel that you are at risk, receive an abnormal pap result or develop genital warts.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Gynecologist or doctor

Diagnose the HPV Infection in Women

Step1

See your doctor for annual pelvic exams and pap tests. A pelvic exam will let your doctor spot any genital warts and test for abnormalities in the cervical lining. Genital warts caused by HPV are unique in appearance and your doctor can easily diagnose the virus.

Step2

Have an HPV test if you receive an abnormal pap result or you are over the age of 30. Since HPV is so common in younger women, a test will be of no use to diagnose "high risk" HPV strains. The most common HPV test looks at the DNA of cervical cells to see if HPV is present.

Step3

Speak with your doctor if you feel that you are at risk for HPV. If your same sex partner develops cervical cancer or any partner has genital warts, you most likely have a higher risk strain of HPV. You should ask your doctor to diagnose your HPV as soon as possible.

Step4

While some strains of HPV may go away without treatment, the strains that cause genital warts may never completely leave your body. You will want to be have your doctor diagnose HPV as the cause of the warts, so you know how to proceed with treatment.

Step5

Return to the doctor every six months for a pap test if you have been diagnosed with HPV. You and your doctor should work out a testing schedule. If your HPV test comes back negative, you may not need a pap test or another HPV test for up to three years.

Tips & Warnings

Know that of the 100 or so viruses lumped together as HPV, only a few can cause warts (anywhere on the body). 30 of those strains are strictly considered sexually transmitted diseases.
If you have been diagnosed with HPV, you should tell your sexual partners that you have the contagious infection.
There is no HPV test approved for males. The only way to diagnose the virus is through the presence of genital warts. Even if the warts are treated, the virus may not. You can ask your doctors to determine if you have HPV via the visual appearance of the warts.