There is no approved HPV test for men. The FDA has not authorized any screening test to detect HPV in males, and the CDC does not recommend routine HPV evaluation for men. This means most men with HPV will never know they have it unless visible symptoms appear or a related health problem develops. Roughly 45% of men ages 18 to 59 carry some form of HPV at any given time, with about 25% carrying a high-risk strain, so the infection is extremely common.
Why There’s No Standard Test for Men
HPV testing in women works by swabbing the cervix, where the virus concentrates in ways that make detection reliable. Men don’t have an equivalent anatomical site that lends itself to consistent sampling. Researchers have tried swabbing the penile shaft, scrotum, and anal canal, but none of these methods has proven reliable or standardized enough to earn FDA approval. The result is a genuine diagnostic gap: there’s no blood test, urine test, or swab you can request at a routine checkup that screens for HPV in men.
Because of this, most HPV infections in men are diagnosed only when they cause something visible or symptomatic. The majority of infections, however, cause neither. The body’s immune system typically clears HPV within 6 to 12 months without the person ever knowing they were infected.
Genital Warts: The Most Obvious Sign
Genital warts are the one sign of HPV you can actually see. They appear as flat, raised, or stalk-like growths on the genital skin. On circumcised men, they tend to show up on the penile shaft. On uncircumcised men, they often develop under the foreskin. Warts can also appear on the scrotum, the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus), around the anus, or inside the anal canal.
Most genital warts don’t hurt. They’re typically painless and may only cause itching depending on their size and location. They can be flesh-colored or slightly darker, smooth or with a rough, cauliflower-like texture, and range from barely noticeable to clearly visible clusters. The time between HPV exposure and wart development is usually 2 to 3 months, though it can range from as little as 2 weeks to as long as 8 months.
If you notice new growths in any of these areas, a doctor can usually diagnose genital warts just by looking at them. No lab test is needed in most cases. A biopsy is only performed when the growths look unusual, don’t respond to treatment, or need to be distinguished from something more serious.
Skin Changes That Could Signal Cancer
High-risk HPV strains don’t cause warts. Instead, they can silently contribute to cancers of the penis, anus, or throat over many years. These cancers are far less common than genital warts, but knowing the warning signs matters because early detection improves outcomes significantly.
Penile Changes
Signs of penile cancer include a painless lump or sore that may bleed, flat growths with a bluish-brown color, small crusty bumps, skin thickening or color changes on the penis, persistent swelling or irritation at the head of the penis, and foul-smelling discharge beneath the foreskin. These symptoms overlap with less serious conditions like infections and allergic reactions, so the only way to confirm or rule out cancer is through a tissue biopsy.
Throat and Mouth Symptoms
HPV-linked throat cancer (oropharyngeal cancer) has become increasingly common in men. Symptoms include a persistent sore throat that doesn’t resolve, earaches, hoarseness, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, pain when swallowing, and unexplained weight loss. Some people with oropharyngeal cancer have no symptoms at all in the early stages, which is part of what makes it difficult to catch.
Anal Symptoms
Anal cancer can cause bleeding, pain, itching, or a lump near the anus. For men at higher risk, specifically men who have sex with men and those living with HIV, formal anal cancer screening is recommended. International guidelines suggest screening with anal cytology (similar in concept to a Pap smear) starting at age 35 for MSM and transgender women with HIV, and at age 45 for MSM without HIV and other people living with HIV.
What a Doctor Can Actually Do
If you’re concerned about HPV, a doctor’s role is primarily visual inspection. They’ll examine the genital and anal areas for warts or suspicious skin changes. If anything looks abnormal, they may perform a biopsy to determine whether the tissue is benign, precancerous, or cancerous. But for men without visible symptoms, there is no screening tool a doctor can offer to check for hidden HPV infections.
This can feel frustrating, especially if a partner has tested positive for HPV. It’s worth understanding that a partner’s positive result doesn’t necessarily mean a recent infection. HPV can lie dormant and reactivate after years, making it impossible to pinpoint when or from whom the infection came.
The Virus Usually Clears on Its Own
Most HPV infections in men resolve without treatment. One U.S. study found a median clearance time of about 6 months, while a multinational study put it closer to 7.5 months. HPV 16, the strain most strongly linked to cancer, tends to persist longer, clearing in about 12 months on average. “Clearance” means the immune system suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, though whether it’s fully eliminated or simply dormant remains an open question in medicine.
The strains that cause genital warts (primarily types 6 and 11) are considered low-risk, meaning they don’t cause cancer. The strains that cause cancer (primarily types 16 and 18) don’t cause warts. So visible warts, while understandably alarming, are not a sign of cancer risk from those specific strains.
Prevention Still Works, Even Without Testing
The HPV vaccine is FDA-approved for men through age 45. In clinical trials, the vaccine showed roughly 88% efficacy against persistent HPV infections, genital warts, and related lesions in people who hadn’t yet been exposed to the vaccine-targeted strains. Efficacy is highest when the vaccine is given before sexual activity begins, but vaccination still offers meaningful protection for sexually active adults who haven’t been exposed to all the strains the vaccine covers.
Consistent condom use reduces HPV transmission risk, though it doesn’t eliminate it entirely because HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact in areas a condom may not cover. Condoms also appear to help the body clear existing infections faster.
Talking to a Partner
The CDC does not mandate HPV disclosure between partners, in part because the infection is so common and the source is often impossible to identify. That said, men diagnosed with visible warts or HPV-related cancers are advised to inform their partners, since these conditions suggest the presence of transmissible HPV types. Disclosure opens the door to practical steps like vaccination for unvaccinated partners and consistent condom use, both of which reduce transmission risk within couples.
If your partner has been diagnosed with HPV, getting vaccinated yourself (if you haven’t been) is one of the most effective things you can do. The vaccine can still protect against strains you haven’t encountered, even if you’ve already been exposed to others.