Misconception #8: Having a positive HPV test and having symptoms are the same thing.

No. They're. Not.

People make this mistake all the time. Drives me nuts.

Keep 'em separate: the thing that we're looking for (HPV) and the effects that thing can have (symptoms). You can have the thing without seeing the effects. In other words, you can have the virus and not have symptoms. You can even transmit the virus without symptoms. This is why it matters whether you've been exposed, guys and gals. This is why it matters that you ask for the test, gals. The fact that it's present and the fact that it is or is not doing something to your body are two different things.

The moment you're exposed to HPV is simply the time that the virus enters your body. Again, the HPV test looks for the virus, not the symptoms. You don't start showing symptoms immediately, because symptoms take various amounts of time to develop. The virus has to invade your cells, replicate, and take over - which doesn't happen immediately. Some people will show symptoms within weeks or months after exposure (even pre-cancerous lesions can come on really fast, like they did for me), and for others, it can take years.

This is Post #8 in the series, Debunking HPV Myths. For other parts of the series, click here.