Sexual Health STDs HPV Print Coping With Human Papillomavirus Infection (HPV) By Andrea Chisholm, MD facebook twitter linkedin Andrea Chisolm, MD, is a board-certified OB/GYN who has taught at both Tufts University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Learn about our editorial process Andrea Chisholm, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD on April 25, 2019 facebook twitter linkedin instagram Anita Sadaty, MD, is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology. She is a clinical assistant professor at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and founder of Redefining Health Medical. Learn about our Medical Review Board Anita Sadaty, MD Updated on September 05, 2019 HPV Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Coping Prevention In This Article Table of Contents Expand Know Your Diagnosis Boost Your Immune System Don't Suffer Silently Sex After Diagnosis View All If you or your partner have just been diagnosed with human papillomavirus, stop for a minute and take a deep breath. HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection. In fact, it is thought that just about anyone who has had sex has been exposed to HPV. The good news is that most HPV infections clear out of your body on their own. Regardless, there are a few things you can do help cope and live well, including understanding your diagnosis, taking care of your immune system, and more. Know Your Diagnosis Understanding what HPV infection is all about will really help you cope with your diagnosis. There are typically two ways that you find out that you have HPV: You either are diagnosed with genital warts or you have abnormal changes on your pap test and screen positive for HPV. If you have been diagnosed with genital warts you will want to follow through with the treatment recommended by your physician. You are very infectious to sexual partners until the warts have completely cleared. It can take anywhere from three weeks to eight months after you have been exposed to HPV before you develop genital warts. The good news is that the warts are typically caused by the common low-risk strains of HPV, which means that once they are treated and the virus clears you don't have a high risk for any long-term complications. You may have found out through your routine pap smear that you have been exposed to HPV. What happens next depends on the abnormality detected. Your doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment or follow-up. Although it is still likely that your body will clear the infection on its own, more advanced changes on your cervix need to be followed closely to prevent progression to cervical cancer. Unlike genital warts, it is less likely that you are infectious to your sexual partner if you have been diagnosed with HPV by an abnormal pap smear. HPV Doctor Discussion Guide Get our printable guide for your next doctor's appointment to help you ask the right questions. Download PDF Email the Guide Send to yourself or a loved one. Sign Up This Doctor Discussion Guide has been sent to {{form.email}}. There was an error. Please try again. Boost Your Immune System Because HPV is an infection there are some things you can do to boost your immune system and help your body clear the virus. Quit Smoking If you are a current cigarette smoker and you have HPV you should do your best to quit smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes gets absorbed into the cervical mucus and it is thought that this decreases your body's ability to clear the virus from your cervix. Decrease Stress Emotional stress causes many unhealthy changes in your body. When your body's stress hormone levels increase, your immune system doesn't work as well as it should. This means you can't fight off infections very effectively. Making changes in your life to minimize your stress level is very important. Activities like yoga, tai chi, and meditation can help to reduce the effects of stress on your body. Diet Tune-Up There is some disagreement among experts whether or not diet plays a role in helping your body get rid of HPV. There is some thought that certain B-complex vitamins are effective in boosting your immune system when it comes to fighting off HPV. These are riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), vitamin B12, and folate. Checking in on your diet and making sure it includes foods rich in these B vitamins is certainly not harmful and just may be helpful. Don't Suffer Silently Of course, being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease can be very stressful and anxiety producing, but you should not be embarrassed about having HPV. You might be surprised that once you open up to friends about your diagnosis, you will find yourself in good company. Talk with your doctor about local resources for women diagnosed with HPV. For online support groups check out the American Sexual Health Association website. Again, remember that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and you are not alone. Sex After Diagnosis Being diagnosed with HPV is not a fatal blow to your sex life. Of course, you might need to sit out a few weeks if you are being treated for genital warts, but then it can be business as usual. Because genital warts are so easily transmitted from skin-to-skin contact, your current sex partner should also get checked for genital warts. You also might want to take the diagnosis as a time to reflect on your sexual practices. Having one sexual partner and consistent condom use decreases your overall risk of being exposed to another STI. Wondering whether or not to tell a current or future partner about your abnormal pap or positive HPV test? When it comes to HPV diagnosed on screening tests partner notification is a bit controversial. The experts say that it has little impact on transmission. Also, there is no screening test available to detect HPV in men. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Juckett G. Hartman-Adams H. (2010) Human papillomavirus: clinical manifestations and prevention. Am Fam Physician. (82) 1209-1214. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Genital HPV Infection - Fact Sheet. Updated November 16, 2017. Hoover K et al. (2009) What About the Partners of Women with Abnormal Pap or Positive HPV Tests. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (36). 141-146. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31818eb765 Eldridge R.C., Pawlita M., Wilson L., Castle P.E., Waterboer T., Gravitt P.E., Schiffman M., Wentzensen N. Smoking and subsequent human papillomavirus infection: A mediation analysis. Ann. Epidemiol. 2017;27:724–730.e721. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2017.10.004 Erickson, B. K., Alvarez, R. D., & Huh, W. K. (2013). Human Papillomavirus: What Every Provider Should Know. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 208(3), 169–175. DOI:10.1016/j.ajog.2012.09.007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Papillomavirus (HPV): HPV and Men - Fact Sheet. Updated December 28, 2016.