Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection in the United Kingdom. There are more than 100 kinds of HPV, however, some of them do not cause any symptoms, others may cause genital warts. More aggressive HPV types can lead to cancer in both men and women. This includes cancer of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, throat and penis.
HPV is transmitted through anal, oral or vaginal sex with an infected person. It can also be transmitted through skin to skin contact with infected genitals.
People who have a higher risk of infection are people who;
Getting tested is not only quick and easy, it’s the only way to know for sure
if
you do or do not have an STD.
Most people who have HPV won’t show any signs or symptoms (they do not get any warts) and the virus might go away by itself. This means you won’t even know if you or your partner already has the virus.
If you get warts, then you will find bumps, fleshy growths or skin changes that can appear anywhere in the anal or genital area.
Warts may even appear from three weeks to a few months or even years, after you get the virus.
Proper diagnosis is completely based on clinical appearance. For screening, HPV testing is usually done on a swab from the cervix or penis or from a genital skin lesion directly. This generally screens for 20 strains of HPV including higher risk types of 6 and 11 and 16 and 18.
At STI Clinic London, we provide HPV testing and cervical smear tests. We also provide sub- typing of HPV when the test result is positive. This will enable to know if your virus strain is high or low risk.
Cervical Smear testing for HPV DNA with individual reporting of all subtypes
16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68.
The turnaround time for HPV is 4-6 days.
Swab testing from lesions are available at our clinic with individual reporting of all subtypes
16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68.
The turnaround time for HPV is 4-6 days.
| Test | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
|
HPV Screening |
£200 |
3-5 Working days |
If the result of the test is positive, you should see your private GP for follow-up tests. Your GP will detect cervical abnormalities and ask you to go for routine checks in future.
If the test result is positive for HPV type of higher risk, then this does not mean you will suffer from cervical cancer. In reality, most women get infected with at least one HPV strain at some point in their lives. However, in most cases, the infection clears within a few months and this does not cause any damage.
However, it is extremely important to attend for attend regular smear tests in case you carry a high risk strain.
If the test result is again positive, then you will have to get vaccinated against HPV. The HPV vaccination will protect you against different virus strains and also protect from getting infected with different kinds of HPV.
For men, typically symptoms will present as genital warts, which can be frozen off at the clinic by our experienced doctor. You may need to repeat the freezing process to ensure all warts are removed, but with quick decisive action and maintaining good health, HPV infections can be managed effectively in all people.
If the test result is negative, then you do not have to worry about strains of the HPV virus. Also, you need not visit a doctor for a follow-up appointment but you should still go for the routine smear tests.
Make sure you continue using condoms to stay protected from HPV and other STIs.
If the result of the test is negative once again, then you might consider getting vaccinated against HPV. You may get this vaccine at the local clinic.
Once you have been tested positive for HPV, the next step would be treatment. However, there is no cure for the virus, but there are treatments for the symptoms, including topical medication such as a cream, but at the clinic we recommend cryotherapy to freeze and remove offending warts. The treatment may need to be repeated for each wart until all are cleared.
Looking for an HPV test clinic near to you? Visit our private HPV clinic in London today!
Getting tested is not only quick and easy, it’s the only way to know for sure
if
you do or do not have an STD.
Since HPV is a common virus, it is quite difficult to avoid it completely. But there are certain steps that can be taken to lessen the risk of a HPV infection developing into something more malignant.
We also vaccinate against human papillomavirus using the Gardasil 9 vaccine. Vaccinations have been recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to people over the age of 11/12 to reduce the risk of cervical and other types of cancer from developing.
It is given in two doses, 6 -12 months apart. The vaccine is also recommended for males of 21 years of age and females of 26 years and under who did not receive the vaccine as part of the national health programme.
Our experienced doctors are available and can perform a wide range of HPV Tests from our London HPV clinic. To have an HPV test today call us on 0207183 0649, Email clinic@sticlinic.london or book an online appointment now.
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