Can HPV just go away?

Question:

okay, maybe this is stupid question, but after i was raped my doctor told me that i had HPV, well, i have since had probably around 10 pap smears (2 kids and other issues as to why i have had so many in 3 years) but no other doctor has ever told me this? could it have just gone away, or is it possible that my old doctor mis-diagnosed me. i had no symptoms or anything at the time, and have been tested for everything during all of my previous paps!

Answers:
Yes, it can just go away. Over the life span, around 80% of women end up getting HPV at SOME point in life. Most cases of HPV clear up. Some strains of HPV, however, do not clear up, and can cause cervical cancer. All of your paps have been negative, though, so it sounds like yours cleared up. The Center for Disease Control has a website that will explain all of this to you. http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.h...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a group of viruses that infect the skin. There are more than 70 different types of HPV. Certain types of HPV cause warts on the hands or feet, and other types can cause warts on the genitals. But some people never have warts they can see and many never get warts, so most people with HPV do not know they have it.

That's part of one article I found on yahoo health. Confusing since it's saying there are so many types. I found this staement in another article:

There's no cure for HPV infection. In most cases, your immune system rids your body of the virus, and warts often go away without treatment.

So, I guess your answer would be, it would depend on which type it was.

Can HPV just go away?

Health Resources