Significance | Negative Pap

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Making sense of your Pap &
HPV Test Result FAQs

Q. When my Pap test is not normal that mean I have cancer or a precancerous condition?Q. What are the common terms used to describe simple infections with HPV and why do they need colposcopy?Q. What does it mean when my Pap test saysAtypical Squamous CellsUndetermined Significance (ASCUS)?Q. What should I do if my Pap test is ASCUS and my HPV test is negative?Q. What should I do if my Pap test is ASCUS and my HPV test is positive?Q. What should I do if my Pap test is LSIL?Q. What does it mean when my Pap test saysAtypical Squamous Cells: Cannot Exclude High-Grade SIL (ASC-H)?Q. What does it mean when my Pap test saysHigh-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL)?Q. What does it mean when my Pap test saysAtypical Glandular Cells?Q. What does it mean when my Pap test is negative but my HPV test is positive?Q. What should I do if my Pap test is negative but my HPV test is positive?

What does it mean when my Pap test is negative but my HPV test is positive?

Combined screening with Pap and HPV testing should only be done in women over the age of 30. The number of women with a negative Pap test and a positive HPV test varies with age. About 7% of women aged 30 fall into this category and the number goes down to about 3% in women over 50 years of age. The risk is low that these women will have a true precancer but goes up if the HPV test remains positive for more than a year.