Hello, does anyone know what strains of high risk HPV the NHS tests for? Is it just 16 and 18 or all the others (think there’s around 14 high risk types altogether).
I think the NHS just test for HPV 16 and 18, but they don’t really give you any info. If anyone knows more feel free to correct me!
Hi @Katy2
They test for all strains that are known to cause CC, the HPV test is a DNA/RNA type so they are able to recognise whichever strain you have, this is why some smears can come back with a low risk HPV positive… the higher risk ones they have different protocols for the different strains so they would also need to know which type you have to know what to do next x
A relative of mine, we were both born in the same month just 3 years apart so our smears lined up with one another, in 2020 we were both told we had high risk HPV with borderline changes however I was sent for a colposcopy but she was advised to have another smear in 12 months time… obviously confused I asked the nurse at my GP why I was being sent yet she wasn’t since we both had the same result, she just said it must be because she has a different strain to me… I was then told mine is 16 x
Thanks so much for your answer @icedblue. That makes sense. I’ve never been told which strain I have. I did a home test and it’s positive for a high risk strain that is neither 18 or 16 but it doesn’t say which one. I was just trying to interpret this in the context of previous results and work out my risk (HR HPV positive in 2014, still positive in 2016, then subsequent tests negative until this one, but no new partners).
I am not sure what the NHS tests for but I was recently told I had high risk HPV. I had kind of worked it out for myself since my partner and I have been in a monogomous relationship for the last 26 years and i had read usually the strains that remain in your body are the high ridk ones. I did the Superdrug test and it confirmed i tested positive for HPV 16. Armed with this information ahead of my colposcopy, will the NHS treat me any different probably not. At least i know what i am faced with.
Did you have abnormal cells on your smear then, with you attending for colposcopy? I had a smear with cytology (regardless of HPV results) done privately last week so waiting anxiously for the results, though the consultant was very reassuring. She said I should get a report telling me which strain of HPV I have as well. I think 16 is one of the ones where they will continue to monitor closely whilst you’re testing positive. I read how it’s thought that Covid can reactivate dormant viruses so wondering if that’s what’s happened to me (as had no new partners) and if you think that might have happened with you? I had Covid last August and was HPV negative earlier in the year when I had my smear and so I do wonder if that’s what’s caused me to test positive. Let’s hope we both overcome this horrible virus soon.
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I was Hpv positive last year witth no abnormal cells. This year Hpv positive with low grade dysksryosis. Two factors may have reactivated hpv: i have just gone through the Menopause (12 months after my last period) and caught Covid back in March. I am slightly confused because i read hpv can only be detected when it is active. Therefore can it be active with no cell changes present,?
As I understand it, it can become active and to start with there are no cell changes but over time changes start to happen (as in your case, one year later you have mild changes). Interesting about menopause and Covid. I’m 47 and just starting to notice menopausal symptoms. Is there anything written about menopause and HPV? I guess time will tell how significant Covid may or may not be in causing reactivaion of HPV and subsequent cell changes and cervical cancers.
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Thank you @Katy2. I have HPV16 (as diagnosed by Superdrug home testing kit) so am now taking AHCC which has been shown to clear 66% of high risk HPV in clinical trials. You cant believe all you read out there but my colposcopy is a couple of weeks away and i had to do something.
Hi again, I also have AHCC though not started taking it yet. Hope it works for you. I have everything crossed for good news at your colposcopy.
I am very sure that perimenopausal or menopausal hormonal changes and/or viral infections can reawaken a dormant HPV infection. Not necessarily the case though. I tested HPV positive with no abnormal cells (NHS UK; they don’t tell you the strain other than high risk) in June 2020. First routine smear I had since they started testing for HPV first. Prior to that all smears were cytology normal. Was positive again in June 2021 still with no abnormal cells. I’m 46 and have been with my husband for 10 years so this clearly isn’t a new infection. I’m fit, very active and healthy (lots of plant-based stuff). Had COVID January 2021, smack bang between my smears. I’ve just had my 3rd recall smear and am waiting on the results hoping it’s finally bu****ed off. The nurse who performed my smear said clearing HPV in a year is only an average. She said sometimes it takes longer. She also said there are some women who carry HPV and who never have any issues, meaning that it’s not guaranteed that having HPV will lead to cell changes, it just increases your risk. At least we are all being monitored so if anything does change, it should hopefully be picked up.
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Fingers crossed for you spacedog. I am sure your healthy lifestyle has helped keep it at bay. I mean i must have had my hpv for years as i have been with partner for 16 years. Of course they have only started testing sonce 2018 i think.
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I got my results back today. HPV negative after 2 years being HPV positive with no abnormal cells. What a relief and back to 3-year routine recall! It IS possible to shake it off. Good luck to all those awaiting results.
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So happy for you Spacedog! It must be such a relief but i bet it is perfectly usual to get HPV and then clear it naturally.
A few years back you would have been none the wiser. Thanks to the UK screening programme and the HPV testing i am sure many lives have been saved.
I have my colposcopy in about an hour or so and will report back later.
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Good luck @Worried58yrold. Let us know how you got on. Really pleased for you @Spacedog! Brilliant news. I’m still waiting for my results, hopefully anytime soon.
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Good luck. I hope it goes ok and am rooting for the best outcome for you. Let us know how you get on.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
Just a quick update. I had the colposcopy and was able to see my cervix on the screen. I do think it helps to see things with your own eyes. I could see it looked pink and healthy. The lovely lady who did it said there were no areas she needed to tske a biopsy of. So i take that as a great result. As an “older woman” though i need a repeat smear in 6 months which is fine. The more checking the better. Meanwhile i am taking AHCC and green tea and a whole host of vitamins in the hope of getting rid of the HPV.
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That is a great result. I hope that puts your mind at rest somewhat. I have decided I am going to use a home test kit annually to test my HPV status. I am negative now which is great. However, knowing that my HPV must be reactivation of an infection I caught 10+ years ago and the ability of HPV go dormant and then re-activate for reasons unknown, it is something I want to keep tabs on going forward. While I know that the NHS won’t necessarily act on results generated by a home test (unless I had symptoms), I can have these results added to my medical record should I have any issues in future. My concern is that a intermittently active HPV infection may still have the potential to cause problems but may not generate any further investigation under the NHS screening programme. As a scientist I am a fan of data. This is just my personal preference though. Hopefully this was just a blip and it never rears its head again but if it does, I’d rather know.
