Human papillomavirus (HPV) is very common, and most sexually active people will get it at some point in their lives. HPV is actually a group of over 100 related viruses, some of which cause genital warts and some of which can lead to cancer. However, there are a few key things to understand about HPV transmission between partners:
HPV is easily transmitted between partners
HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. It spreads through skin-to-skin sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Condoms provide only partial protection against HPV, as the virus can be present on skin areas not covered by the condom. This means it is extremely easy to transmit HPV between partners.
In fact, studies suggest around 2 out of 3 sexually active people will get HPV in their lifetime. Many people clear the infection naturally without even knowing they had it. But for some people, the virus persists and can cause health issues like genital warts or cancer.
You or your partner could have HPV without knowing it
There is no routine screening test for men to check for HPV. And while women are recommended to get regular Pap smears to check for cervical cell changes caused by HPV, there is no test to specifically detect HPV itself.
Since most people have no symptoms with initial HPV infection, it is very common for someone to have HPV without realizing it and unknowingly pass it on to their partner. Estimates suggest up to 80% of sexually active women contract HPV, often in their late teens or 20s. But most never show any symptoms and may clear the infection on their own within 1-2 years.
HPV can remain dormant or undetectable for years
One reason you may have HPV but your partner tests negative is because HPV can lie dormant in the body for years before resurfacing. The virus can remain inactive or undetectable, evading the immune system. Then at some point it becomes reactive again, causing cellular changes that might lead to genital warts or abnormal Pap results.
So you and your partner may have both been initially exposed and infected, but only one of you shows signs of an active infection that can be detected through screening tests. This doesn’t necessarily mean one partner was unfaithful.
HPV strains are highly specific
There are considered to be “high-risk” and “low-risk” strains of HPV based on their potential to cause cancer. However, many HPV strains are highly specific in the types of cellular changes and problems they cause:
- HPV strains 6 and 11 cause about 90% of all genital warts cases.
- HPV 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of all cervical cancer cases.
- HPV 16 is also linked to cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and oropharynx.
So it is possible for you to test positive for one specific high-risk strain while your partner tests negative. You likely have different dominant strains of the overall HPV virus you were exposed to.
HPV tests have limitations
While the Pap smear is an effective cervical cancer screening tool, it has some limitations when it comes to HPV detection. The test can only detect active infections that are causing cellular abnormalities. Normal Pap results do not necessarily mean you are HPV negative if you have strains that are currently dormant or evading detection.
HPV DNA tests are increasingly used along with Pap smears for women 30 and over. However, false negatives are still very possible. In one study, 12% of women who tested negative for high-risk HPV strains with the DNA test actually did have high-grade cervical disease.
You may have cleared the infection but your partner has not
Most HPV infections are cleared from the body by the immune system within 1-2 years. However, while you may have developed antibodies and gotten rid of your infection, your partner’s immune system may not have been able to fight it off as quickly. So you may test negative while an infection persists in your partner.
Men can’t get tested for HPV as easily as women
Another factor that influences HPV testing discrepancies between partners is that women have more available screening than men.
Women are advised to get regular Pap smears, which detect HPV-related cervical cell changes. There is also an HPV DNA test specifically for women. These screening tools make it easier to detect HPV infections in women, even if no outward symptoms are present.
However, there are no approved HPV tests for men and no standard anal Pap smears. Some doctors offer anal Pap smears to men, but they may miss anal HPV if not done properly. Also, while HPV can be detected in men through a genital wart biopsy, biopsies are invasive and not routinely performed.
The lack of accessible HPV screening tools for men means many infections go undetected in men. So a woman may test positive while her male partner wrongly assumes he is negative.
Conclusion
HPV is very contagious but often sneaky in the way it infects people. Testing limitations, high dormancy rates, strain specificity, and lack of symptoms in initial infections allow HPV to spread easily between partners. One partner testing positive while the other tests negative is very possible with HPV.
If you have HPV, don’t be quick to blame your partner as the source. Unless there are other reasons to suspect infidelity, a positive test result likely just reflects the subtle, complex ways HPV infects different people. Open communication, safer sex habits, and regular screening for both partners can help prevent major health issues down the road.
References
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