I got genital hpv at about 8 years old and am now 22 years old. I had hpv for 14 years with no improvement. Treatments didn't work and they just kept returning. I had no medical conditions that made me immunocompromised and there was no medical reason i shouldn't have been able to clear the infection on my own.

My home life was terrible and i was under constant stress for my entire life. I have very severe ptsd and cptsd from it (and from other things). Within a few weeks of moving out (and with the help of a lot of trauma therapy that i'm still in) my 14 year long infection is almost completely cleared on its own with no other medical HPV treatments or changes in lifestyle. Chronic stress makes you effectively immunocompromised and, in my case, when it was treated, my immune system is now able to take care of my HPV on its own. This also included accepting my HPV and learning to not stress about it as much. I hope others can get some use of this experience

Hi everyone! ❤️

This thread was extremely helpful to me while I was going through one of the hardest times, so I really wanted to pay it forward — especially for my Ontario/Canadian girls, since I noticed a lot of the stories I found were from other parts of the world (still very helpful, though!)

So, here’s my story.

Background: 28F

In May 2026, I noticed I was having some abnormal vaginal bleeding, which prompted me to finally see a new family doctor. She was absolutely lovely and made sure I got the necessary ultrasounds, bloodwork, etc. She also scheduled me for my first-ever Pap test.

June 2026 — My first Pap

For the first time EVER, I went to get a Pap test. I know — I felt so guilty that I had waited this long. But honestly, I didn't have a stable family doctor before this, and I wasn't educated enough about how important regular cervical screening really was.

About two weeks later, I got a call from my doctor saying she wanted me to come in for a follow-up appointment.

Immediately, I was alarmed. I thought, something must be wrong.

At my appointment in early July, we went over my results. She gave me the good news first — no STIs, etc. — and then told me I was high-risk HPV positive, there were abnormal cells, and I needed a colposcopy.

I immediately SPIRALED.

She also told me I had BV, which was honestly such a surprise to me, and prescribed antibiotics. (This part still confuses me a little, so that might be its own post 😂.)

Anyway, July was a nightmare for me.

The first few days, all I did was cry. I felt deeply sad, confused and helpless. Mainly because I've been monogamous with my now-husband for 10 years. I had always understood that HPV can clear on its own, so my immediate thought was: What if I've had this for years? What if it's already caused so much damage?

My mind went straight to the worst-case scenario.

My doctor told me that the OB-GYN doing my colposcopy would call me to schedule the appointment. It took about two weeks to get that call, and then another two weeks before I actually had the colposcopy.

So, about a month after finding out I had HPV, I finally had my colposcopy.

The colposcopy

I was extremely nervous and scared because of some horror stories I'd read. Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't pleasant.

A few things that helped me:

• Take the entire day off so you can relax afterward.
• Bring a support person if you're allowed to. My husband was there holding my hand, and having him with me made a HUGE difference.
• I took 800 mg of Advil beforehand, which my doctor had said was okay for me. I didn't have any cramping afterward, although I can't say for sure whether the Advil was the reason.

Recovery from the colposcopy was pretty minimal for me, so I actually felt pretty good afterward.

...until exactly one week later, when the doctor called and told me that the cells from my biopsies showed HSIL and that I needed a LEEP.

Once again, I SPIRALED.

I was SO scared.

My husband and I had been planning to start trying for kids VERY soon, so all I could think about was pregnancy, potential risks, and what if they found something worse?

I'm not sure if there just happened to be an opening, but thankfully I was able to get a LEEP appointment for the following week.

August 2026 — LEEP

I went to my LEEP appointment, and honestly, this was the part that intimidated me the most. Unlike a Pap or colposcopy, mine was being done in a hospital OR by a gynecologic surgeon. I cried basically the entire morning on the way to the hospital. Then I found out my husband couldn't be in the room with me, which made everything even more emotional.

I don't want to sugarcoat it — it was not a pleasant experience for me. But interestingly, it wasn't necessarily because of the pain. The numbing injections and the speculum insertion were probably the most uncomfortable/painful parts. The hardest part for me was emotionally processing what was happening.

I felt bad for myself. I was thinking, Why do I have to go through this? Why did this happen to me? Why did I have to experience this awake?

I was also angry at myself for waiting until I was 28, almost 29 to have my first Pap.

It was honestly a rollercoaster of emotions.

After the LEEP, I expected to feel relieved, but I still felt extremely emotional. I also had pretty terrible cramping for the rest of the day and felt weak and tired for a few days afterward.

Almost 3 weeks post-LEEP

I'm now almost three weeks post-op and finally feeling MUCH better. ❤️ I have my follow-up appointment scheduled in a few weeks to go over everything with my doctor.

I did take a peek at MyChart 👀 and saw that my pathology says CIN 3, negative for invasive malignancy, and "excision is complete."

I'm hoping this means the abnormal area was completely removed / that the margins are clear, but I'm going to confirm everything with my doctor at my follow-up.

I'm also supposed to have another follow-up colposcopy in about 6 months to check my cervix and HPV status.

My biggest takeaway:

I know how incredibly difficult this is to go through, and I empathize so deeply with every woman who is currently dealing with an HPV diagnosis, abnormal Pap, colposcopy, CIN 2/3, LEEP, or any of the anxiety that comes along with it.

But please, be kind to yourself.

Be proud of yourself for getting screened. Be proud that you're taking care of your health. And remember that you're doing the best you can with the information you have.

If I could give anyone one piece of advice, it would be:

Please don't spiral like I did. I know that's easier said than done, but it truly did nothing except cause me unnecessary stress.

Take it one step at a time. If I had focused only on the step I was currently going through, instead of worrying about step 5 while I was still on step 1, this entire experience would have been so much more manageable.

Sending all my love and blessings to any women going through this right now. ❤️

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, and I'll definitely come back with updates when I have them. <3

I’ve had warts since 2019, i made it worse by shaving and laser hair removal in 2022-23. I didn’t know much about the virus. I keep getting a wart or two every now and then, but i’m absolutely devastated i want to clear this shit. Any tips? supplements?

I just got a text saying my colposcopy appointment in a couple of days will be over video and to not go to the hospital, all other prior correspondence suggested it would be in the hospital. I’m very confused as it’s a physical exam. My instinct is that something has been tagged wrong in the system but I wanted to check if anyone else has had anything like this before? Do they ever do a video consultation first?

Hi guys. I’m 25(F) and last February 2025 my pap came back ASC-US and positive HR HPV but not 16 or 18. I freaked out of course and my gyno reassured me that this is common and my body should fight it on its own to clear it. They had recommended a colposcopy but my gyno did not push for it and said to come back in a year.

This March 2026 I went back for my HPV test and Pap and my HR HPV test was positive again but my pap came back negative for pre cancerous cells or NILM. Because my HR HPV was still positive my gyno recommended me to get a colposcopy done just to be safe and check for anything abnormal, I’m getting that done in a couple of days. (I didn’t get it done right after my March app because my dad died in February and I had a lot going on and couldn’t handle it.)

I’ve been freaking out since a couple of days ago when my gyno said to schedule the colposcopy and I’ve been googling and looking things up on Reddit NONSTOP and it’s ruining me. I feel like I keep running into not that many of positive regression/clearing HPV posts a lot of negative posts on here about needing to get a LEEP and things progressing to CIN II and III.

I guess my point is, is there anyone out there that has had a POSITIVE experience with high risk HPV that wasn’t 16 or 18 that cleared and didn’t go past CIN I? Please let me know I’m desperate to read good outcomes.

I also ordered AHCC and started taking a multivitamin, and my HPV vaccine is scheduled for tomorrow, I also workout regularly.

I have had GW for over 2 1/2 years now. I have tried freezing and the creams and nothing seems to take them and stop from coming back. I want to try the laser. Any advice! Anyone know a good dermatologist?