If I Have Had A High Risk Hpv Result From

Posted on Thu, 26 Sep 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : if i have had a high risk hpv result from a smear test today why has it not been picked up before, i had a pregnancy 3 years ago and wasnt told then

Answered by Dr. Soumya (56 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
HPV low grade infection can be missed

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I understand your concerns.

Following is my reply:

1) You may not have HPV virus in a concentration enough to be picked. It might happen that low grade lesions are missed on a pap smear ( if done) 3 years ago.

2) Even high risk HPV does not mean cancer. I suggest you get further tests like colposcopy and this should be good enough to identify risk caused by HPV.

Let me know if you need anymore help.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad