It takes months to years for HPV to show on a PAP smear,does anyone know the the exact window frame roughly??

Answer 1

It just depends on the person. For some it can take months while others can take years. It also depends on what strain of the virus you have. Usually cancer can take a while to develop and genital warts show up relatively soon. But, everyone is different.

I was diagnosed with HPV right after I turned 17. That same year I developed cervical cancer from it. Then 4 1/2 years later I developed genital warts from it. So, it can take a while to show any signs or symptoms of the virus.

Answer 2

It depends on the virulence of the HPV strain. It would be unusual to see significant changes in less than 3 months, but it can be many years. A relatively new kind of Pap smear that looks for viral DNA (ThinPrep or others) can detect changes earlier. Incidentally, most young women will clear early Pap changes without any treatment.