Many doctors will argue that testing for HPV is an art, not a science. This simply means that there is no precise, one hundred percent accurate way to test for HPV.

The most common symptoms of HPV, being warts, are generally easy to identify. Be they common or genital warts, they’re easily spotted by their conspicuous cauliflower like appearance.

Even so, if you suspect that you have contracted HPV, it is a good idea to have your doctor verify this. Oftentimes, what may be a simple blemish, a pimple, or something else entirely may be misidentified as a wart, and the wrong treatment may be applied, as such, it’s always wise to attain a professional’s opinion.

That said, warts are not the primary concern in HPV testing for women. The primary concern is the risk of HPV types 16 or 18 developing into cervical cancer.

A lot of attention is paid in the media to the problems of breast cancer, of HIV, and, more recently, of Swine Flu. It seems odd, then, that so little attention is paid to cervical cancer and HPV, as, every year, cervical cancer kills an estimated forty thousand women. The vast majority of these cases are linked to human papilloma virus.

To be clear, the HPV strains that do lead to cervical cancer are not the types that lead to genital warts and similar conditions. Rather, the HPV types that lead to cervical cancer show absolutely no symptoms visible to the naked eye. Vaginal bleeding may occur, but it is much more common for the condition to show absolutely no symptoms until the cancer has developed into an advanced stage.

You check yourself for lumps and you check your skin for spots after a day in the sun, it is equally important to have a regular pap smear conducted.

You will want to talk to your doctor to arrange scheduled pap smears. The information below will provide a rough guideline, but there are several factors at play, besides your age, that should determine how frequently you should have the test conducted.

For sexually active women or women over the age of eighteen, you should have a pap smear conducted once every one, two, or three years. Although many doctors insist on an annual pap test for any woman aged eighteen to thirty.

A majority of doctors believe that a woman who has reached the ages of sixty five to seventy with no abnormal test results may safely stop having the test conducted. Most women who have had hysterectomies performed do not need pap smears after two or three years of normal results.

A woman who has had a series of abnormal test results may be asked to take a pap test every six months in order for her doctor to keep a close eye on the situation. Abnormal test results may be a bit ambiguous, and it may be hard to identify the problem, if there even is a problem in the first place, with a single pap smear.

When portions of the cervix are removed or operated on in response to an abnormal test result, an annual test should be conducted in order to check for recurrence of abnormal cell growth

Most importantly, you should absolutely not neglect your doctor’s advice regarding a regular pap test. Even if you believe a regular pap test to be unnecessary due to your age or other circumstance, you should not stop having the test conducted until your doctor says so.

Sorry if we seem a bit militant on this front. All men have to worry about when it comes to HPV is the problem of dealing with an ugly infection. In women, HPV can be fatal.

It is estimated that cervical cancer affects 473,000 women every year, killing 253,500 women. Most of these cases are directly linked with genital HPV.

To put that in perspective, breast cancer kills about 519,000 women a year. Breast cancer gets a lot of media attention because of its high casualty rate, but efforts against HPV and cervical cancer have not enjoyed the same amount of attention, and this has led many women to neglect regular testing.

The major problem here tends to be the misconception that HPV means genital warts. Several strains of HPV can lead to genital warts, but the types that can lead to cervical cancer do not show any visible symptoms whatsoever, and can only be effectively identified by a pap smear.

In that few men have ever died of HPV related conditions, men can more easily get away with saying “I trust my partner, I’m safe”, but this is not an option for women. Remember that when you have sex with a new partner, you are having sex with everyone they have ever had sex with. Your boyfriend or husband may have been tested negative for HPV, but, again, the types of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer show absolutely no visible signs, and would be nearly impossible to detect in men.

Apologies for the “preachy” tone being employed here, but the fact remains that there are no safe bets when you’re betting with your life. You cannot be one hundred percent certain that you’re free and clear until you’ve been tested.

Are pap smears inconvenient, uncomfortable, and embarrassing? Of course they are, but they save lives.

As for the visible HPV types, the types which result in genital warts, here are the steps to take when considering being tested…

1-    Self inspection

When you have a chance, during a shower, before bed, whenever you can, check yourself for any abnormal bumps or lesions on or around your genitals. If you see even the slightest thing out of place…

2-    Talk to your doctor

It may wind up being nothing, but you won’t know for sure without your gynaecologist or physician’s input. If it does wind up being HPV…

3-    Take the appropriate steps

Don’t sleep on it, just get your hands on something from the pharmacy right away. Catching HPV early means you can nip it in the bud, so act fast.

Beyond that, just remember that testing and treating HPV is important, but not as important as preventing HPV. Always practice safe sex, always use latex condoms with a new partner, and check yourself regularly to make sure you’re safe. In short, don’t take any chances with your health or your life.

If you have any degree of sexual experience, getting tested is a good idea. You can’t just inspect yourself, trust that you don’t have anything, and forget about it. HPV can remain dormant for years, decades, even a lifetime without showing any symptoms, but can still be contagious. In women, it is the types of HPV that actually have no symptoms that can lead to cervical cancer.

Luckily, most genital HPV types are harmless. In fact, it’s estimated that anywhere from one third to one half of all sexually active adults have contracted a benign form of HPV at one point or other. However, this isn’t the case with all HPV types, so it’s important to get tested.

Should I get Tested?

The first question would probably be… how would you know if you need to be tested?

Well, if you’ve ever had sex before, you should get yourself tested, and get tested again after every encounter with a new sexual partner.

This is sort of a blanket statement. What if you’ve only had one sexual partner in your entire life, and you can verify that your partner only had one partner before you?

Genital HPV is generally only spread through actual sexual intercourse, and not say, toilet seats or what have you, so wouldn’t a clean sexual history make it a safe bet that you don’t have HPV?

No. You’ve no doubt heard that when you have sex with a new partner, you are, in effect, having sex with everyone they’ve ever been with. This is how STDs spread, from one sex partner to another, to another, to another. Unless you have detailed test results from your partner, your partner’s previous partner or partners, and their previous partners, you can’t be one hundred percent sure.

How do they do the Test?

Getting tested for HPV as a man is easy. Women have to undergo the discomfort of a pap smear, so count yourself lucky and just go ahead and go through with it already.

HPV testing in men is done with a simple visual check. Your physician may spot the genital warts on sight, or may use acetic acid to identify warts and HPV related lesions. The acid causes the abnormal tissue to become white.

HPV testing for men can be a little tricky when the infection is in its early stages. You can have HPV and not know it, simply because the test didn’t prove anything. For this reason, you absolutely must practice safe sex. You might think you’re safe, when in fact, you are not. Always use a condom, and see your doctor at the first sign of anything that might, in fact, be the early stages of an HPV infection.

More important than getting tested or treated is simply preventing HPV in the first place. Do not have sex without a condom unless you can be certain that you and your partner are both clear and free, simple as that.