Follow up question to hpv. do a lot of married older women test positive later on for hpv? how does the obgyn explain that its not a new infection and its an older one? also can you test negative for 10 years then positive?

Most HPV is acquired during one's dating years, e.g. up to age 25-30, and most go dormant. HPV can reactivate after years, even 20-30 years later. This explains at least half of newly positive test results in women over age 30, and probably at least 80% in married or monogamous women. Beyond age 30, most new positives in women or abnormal pap smears do not imply newly acquired HPV infection.