HPV and Pregnancy: What You Should Know

Pregnancy already comes with a long list of surpriseslike suddenly caring a lot about fiber, naps, and whether pineapple counts as a personality.
So when “HPV” shows up in your chart (or your brain at 2:00 a.m.), it’s totally normal to spiral a little. The good news: in most cases, HPV
does not derail a healthy pregnancy, and it doesn’t mean you’re “dirty,” “doomed,” or destined to give birth to a tiny gavel-wielding lawyer
who sues you for Googling too much.

This guide explains what HPV is, what changes (and what doesn’t) during pregnancy, how doctors handle abnormal Pap/HPV results when you’re expecting,
what treatment options are considered safe, and when HPV might actually affect delivery decisions. We’ll keep it science-based, practical, and just
funny enough to lower your cortisol.

HPV 101 (the “what are we even dealing with?” section)

What HPV is

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a family of virusesmore than 200 typesspread mostly through skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. A lot of
people have HPV and never know it, because most infections cause no symptoms. In fact, the most common outcome is: your immune system clears it, and
nobody writes a dramatic Netflix miniseries about it.

Low-risk vs. high-risk HPV

Here’s the key distinction that clears up a lot of confusion:
low-risk HPV types can cause genital warts, while high-risk HPV types can lead to abnormal cervical cell changes
and, over many years, increase the risk of cervical cancer. These are generally different HPV typesso “warts” and “cancer” are not automatically
part of the same storyline.

Does HPV go away?

Most of the time, yes. Many HPV infections resolve on their own within a year or two. When HPV sticks around (especially high-risk types), that’s when
doctors pay closer attentionmainly through cervical cancer screening and follow-up testing. Think of it like a smoke alarm: most alerts are burnt toast,
but you still want the alarm to work.

HPV during pregnancy: what changes, what doesn’t

Your immune system is doing a balancing act

Pregnancy changes immune functionyour body is basically running an incredibly sophisticated “don’t reject the baby” program while still protecting you
from infections. That doesn’t mean HPV suddenly becomes a supervillain, but it can shift how symptoms show up. Some people notice genital warts grow
faster or become more noticeable during pregnancy, and warts can be more delicate (friable) and prone to bleeding if irritated.

HPV’s long-term behavior is usually similar

Even with pregnancy’s immune and cervical changes, HPV typically follows a similar overall course as it does when you’re not pregnant. That’s why
abnormal screening results in pregnancy are generally managed using established risk-based thresholdswhile also being extra thoughtful about what
procedures to do during pregnancy versus what can safely wait.

Will HPV affect the baby?

Can HPV be passed to the baby?

It’s possible, but it appears to be uncommon. HPV transmission from parent to baby can happen around delivery, and rare transmission has also been
discussed in the context of pregnancy. When newborns do test positive, many clear the virus within months. So while the possibility exists, it’s
generally not something that changes most pregnancy plans.

The “laryngeal warts” fear (aka recurrent respiratory papillomatosis)

One of the scariest-sounding complications is also one of the rarest: in unusual cases, HPV types associated with genital warts have been linked to
growths in a child’s airway (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis). The important part is “rare.” Doctors may mention it because it exists, not
because it’s likely.

Does HPV change how you deliver?

Vaginal birth is usually still on the table

HPV alone usually doesn’t require a C-section. Even if you have genital warts, many people deliver vaginally without issues.
A C-section may be considered if warts physically obstruct the birth canal or if vaginal delivery would cause excessive bleeding due to large or
fragile lesions. Otherwise, surgical delivery solely to “prevent HPV transmission” generally isn’t recommended based on current guidance.

What your OB/midwife is actually watching for

In real life, your care team is looking at practical factors: Are there visible lesions? Are they large, bleeding, painful, or in the way?
Do you have an abnormal Pap result that suggests higher-grade changes needing closer evaluation? Most of the time, the plan is calm, monitored,
and boringwhich is the best kind of pregnancy plan.

Pap tests, HPV tests, and pregnancy: what to expect

Do you still follow normal cervical screening schedules?

In general, yespregnancy doesn’t automatically mean you stop routine cervical cancer screening. If you’re due for screening, your clinician may do a
Pap test in early prenatal care. Screening intervals depend on age and prior results (for example, Pap testing every few years in younger adults, and
HPV-based options in older age groups). Your individual plan depends on your history, your age, and what test strategy your clinic follows.

If your Pap or HPV test is abnormal while pregnant

First: an abnormal result is not a cancer diagnosis. It’s a signal to look closer. If the risk profile suggests it, your clinician may recommend
colposcopy (a close exam of the cervix with a specialized microscope). Colposcopy and biopsy can be performed in pregnancy when
clinically indicated, and it’s generally considered safeespecially in the hands of a provider experienced with pregnancy-related cervical changes.

Why the cervix can look “extra dramatic” in pregnancy

Pregnancy increases blood flow and causes normal changes in cervical tissue. That can make the cervix look more inflamed or reactive during an exam,
which is one reason experts prefer an experienced colposcopist during pregnancy. The goal is to avoid missing something important while also avoiding
unnecessary interventions.

Why “watch and wait” is often the strategy

If cervical biopsies show precancerous changes like CIN 2 or CIN 3, management in pregnancy often focuses on surveillance rather than immediate
treatmentbecause many lesions regress, and procedures that remove cervical tissue are usually avoided unless cancer is suspected. Follow-up colposcopy
may occur every 12–24 weeks depending on your situation, and a postpartum re-check is common.

Genital warts in pregnancy: treatment options and what to avoid

Do you have to treat warts right away?

Not always. If warts are small, not painful, and not interfering with anything, many clinicians will monitor and consider treatment after delivery.
But if warts are large, rapidly growing, bleeding, or likely to complicate delivery, treatment during pregnancy may be recommended.

Treatments generally avoided in pregnancy

Some common wart medications aren’t recommended during pregnancy. That includes certain patient-applied options like podofilox and sinecatechins, and
provider-applied podophyllin. Another medication, imiquimod, is sometimes discussed as lower risk but is often avoided in pregnancy due to limited data.
Translation: don’t self-treat with leftover creams from 2019 or advice from a cousin’s group chat.

What clinicians may use instead

Provider-administered treatments may include approaches like freezing (cryotherapy), chemical cautery (like trichloroacetic acid), or surgical removal
in selected cases. Your clinician will weigh location, size, symptoms, gestational age, and comfort. The goal is symptom control and delivery safety,
not “erasing HPV forever” (because wart removal treats the lesion, not the underlying virus).

Sex, partners, and the awkward-but-important conversations

Can you have sex if you have HPV while pregnant?

Often, yesunless your clinician advises otherwise due to bleeding, painful lesions, or other pregnancy complications. Using condoms can lower HPV
transmission risk, but HPV can infect areas not covered by a condom, so it’s risk-reduction rather than a force field. The most practical approach is:
communicate with your partner, avoid sex if something hurts or bleeds, and check in with your clinician if you’re unsure.

Should your partner be tested?

There isn’t a routine HPV “screening test” for partners the way there is for the cervix. Most partners share HPV at some point, and many clear it
without symptoms. If you or your partner have visible lesions, new symptoms, or concerns, it’s reasonable to discuss evaluation and STI testing with a
healthcare provider.

HPV vaccine and pregnancy

Can you get the HPV vaccine while pregnant?

HPV vaccination is generally not recommended during pregnancy. If you started the series and then found out you were pregnant, the typical guidance is
to pause the remaining doses and resume after pregnancy. If you were vaccinated before you knew you were pregnant, you generally don’t need to panic
the recommendation is to delay additional doses, not to assume harm.

What about after delivery?

Postpartum is often a great time to revisit vaccination if you’re eligible and not fully vaccinated. It won’t treat an existing HPV infection, but it
can protect against types you haven’t encountered and reduce future risk. Ask your clinician about timing, especially if you’re catching up on other
postpartum health priorities (like sleep, which is now a mythical creature).

After baby arrives: what happens to HPV?

Many people find that warts shrink or become less noticeable postpartum as pregnancy-related changes settle. If you had abnormal cervical screening
results during pregnancy, postpartum follow-up is importantoften including colposcopy no sooner than about four weeks after delivery so the cervix can
heal and the exam is easier to interpret.

Quick FAQs (because your brain is tired)

• Does HPV mean I’ll get cervical cancer? No. Most infections clear. Persistent high-risk HPV is what increases risk over time, which is why screening matters.
• Will my baby “have HPV forever” if transmission happens? Not necessarily. Many infants who test positive clear it within months.
• Can I breastfeed with HPV? In most cases, yes. If you have lesions on or near the breast, ask your clinician for personalized guidance.
• Do genital warts always grow during pregnancy? Not always, but they can proliferate or become more noticeable for some people.
• Is a C-section safer if I have HPV? Not automatically. It’s usually reserved for obstetric reasons (including rare cases where warts obstruct or bleed).

Final takeaway

HPV during pregnancy is usually more “annoying plot twist” than “medical emergency.” Most infections clear, most pregnancies proceed normally, and when
follow-up is needed, there are well-established ways to monitor safely. Your best move is boring and powerful: keep prenatal appointments, follow
recommended screening and follow-up, and bring your questionsyes, even the embarrassing onesto your OB/midwife. They’ve heard it all. Truly. All of it.

Experiences: what people wish they’d known (500-ish words of real-life vibes)

Let’s talk about the part nobody puts on the lab report: the feelings. In real clinics, the most common “symptom” of HPV in pregnancy isn’t physicalit’s
mental. People hear “positive HPV” and immediately picture worst-case outcomes, even when their clinician is calmly saying, “This is common; we’ll monitor.”
One mom described it as having a smoke detector installed directly in her imagination: every harmless twinge turned into “Is this HPV doing something?!”
The biggest relief came when she learned that most HPV infections clear on their own and that “positive” often means “we’re keeping an eye on this,” not
“we’re delivering bad news.”

Another common experience: body changes can make warts feel more dramatic than they are. A pregnant patient once joked that her genital wart “grew a LinkedIn
profile” in the second trimesterbigger, more visible, and suddenly acting like it owned the place. In many cases, pregnancy-related hormone and immune shifts
can make warts proliferate or become more fragile. That doesn’t automatically make them dangerous, but it can make them annoyingespecially if they bleed
after sex or cause discomfort. People often feel embarrassed bringing this up, but clinicians generally treat it like any other symptom: “Let’s look, assess,
and decide whether to treat now or after delivery.”

Then there’s the “abnormal Pap while pregnant” crowd, which is basically a support group nobody asked to join. Many people describe the colposcopy referral
as the scariest partnot because the procedure is usually severe, but because the word sounds like a villain in a sci-fi movie. The actual experience is
often more anticlimactic: a careful exam, sometimes a biopsy, and a plan to monitor. What patients appreciated most was hearing the logic out loud:
“We do this to rule out anything serious. Most cervical changes don’t turn into cancer overnightespecially not in the middle of your baby’s
‘I’m growing eyelashes now’ phase.”

Conversations with partners can be a whole subplot. Some couples panic about blame“Who gave this to whom?”but HPV doesn’t play fair with timelines.
It can be silent for years, and most sexually active adults are exposed at some point. The healthiest relationship move tends to be focusing on action:
“We’ll use condoms if recommended, we’ll follow medical guidance, and we’ll stop treating this like a morality test.” (HPV is a virus, not a character flaw.)

Finally, postpartum emotions matter. A few people feel a wave of relief“We made it!”and then forget follow-up. But many who had abnormal results during
pregnancy said the best gift they gave themselves was scheduling postpartum screening before life became a blur of feeding schedules and tiny socks.
The overall theme across experiences is surprisingly consistent: the facts calm the fear. When you understand that HPV is common, that transmission to baby is
uncommon, and that pregnancy-friendly monitoring exists, the story shifts from panic to plan. And plans are comfortingespecially when your body is already
doing the most.