You’ve just received the news that you tested positive for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). High-risk HPV is more likely to lead to cancer than other strains, and it’s normal to be concerned about your health and your future.
HPV vaccines are available, and you might be wondering if getting vaccinated now could help you. The truth is that the vaccine can’t undo an existing infection, but it can offer important protection against future infections.
Our team at OB-GYN Associates of Marietta specializes in HPV vaccination and gynecological care, and here’s what you need to know about what the HPV vaccine can and cannot do, so you can make more informed decisions about your health going forward.
HPV vaccines are preventive, not therapeutic. This means getting the vaccine helps protect you from future infections, but it doesn’t treat or eliminate an HPV infection you already have. Once you’re infected with a particular HPV strain, your immune system has already been exposed to that virus, and vaccination won’t change that.
However, HPV is not a single virus — it’s actually a group of over 100 different virus types. Of these, around 14 are considered high-risk because they’re associated with cancer development. You might have tested positive for one or a few high-risk strains, but you haven’t been exposed to all of them. This is where the vaccine becomes valuable.
Current HPV vaccines protect against high-risk strains that cause the majority of HPV-related cancers. If you’ve tested positive for one high-risk strain, you likely haven’t been exposed to all the other dangerous strains the vaccine covers.
By getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to those strains you haven’t yet encountered. This prevents you from being infected with additional high-risk HPV types in the future. Think of it this way: if you currently have high-risk HPV type 16, but you haven’t been exposed to types 18, 31, 33, or 45, vaccination can protect you against those other strains.
You can’t undo the type 16 infection, but you can prevent additional infections that would compound your risk. For someone with an existing HPV infection, this protection is genuinely important because it reduces your overall burden of high-risk HPV exposure and lowers your total cancer risk.
While individual cases vary, we often recommend HPV vaccination for people with existing high-risk HPV infection, particularly if you’re in an age group where vaccination is most beneficial. We consider your specific situation, including which HPV strains you have, your age, your sexual history, and your overall health, when recommending whether vaccination is appropriate for you.
The vaccine is most effective in people under 26 years old, though it can be beneficial for older individuals as well. Gardasil 9® is, in particular, approved up to age 45.
Since the HPV vaccine doesn’t treat existing infections, you need monitoring and potentially treatment for your current high-risk HPV infection. Regular cervical cancer screening, like Pap smears, detects any precancerous changes caused by your existing infection, so you can seek early intervention before cancer develops.
If your Pap smear shows abnormal cervical cells, we may recommend colposcopy, which is a magnified examination of your cervix. We may also take biopsies if needed. Many precancerous lesions caused by HPV can be removed through procedures like the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), which eliminates abnormal tissue and prevents progression to cancer.
You need follow-up testing after any treatment to confirm the procedure was successful and monitor for recurrence. Most people with high-risk HPV never develop cancer because their immune system clears the infection or because precancerous changes are detected and treated early, and the key is being proactive.
A positive high-risk HPV test is concerning, but it’s not a cancer diagnosis. Book an appointment with our team at OB-GYN Associates of Marietta to find out whether HPV vaccination is appropriate for you and follow through with any recommended monitoring or treatment for your existing infection to reduce your cancer risk and give you peace of mind.
