The use of a condom is essential to protect yourself and your partners against STDs. It is recommended that women aged between 25 and 64 have HPV screening and that young girls aged from 12 to 14 years old (up to 18 years old) are vaccinated against HPV.
How can an HPV infection be diagnosed?
Women are recommended to have:
- a cervical smear (Pap smear) every 3 to 5 years, for women aged 25 to 30
- an HPV test every 5 years (recommended since 2015) from 30 years old up to 64 years old.
An HPV infection on the cervix, generally clears up spontaneously.
Nonetheless, when the infection persists, lesions can appear and are diagnosed using a smear test.
In women under 30 years of age, HPV is very common but rarely persists.
This is why screening for the virus is only recommended from 30 years old onwards.