Hello, HPV never goes away once you have it, but you build up antibodies against it which makes it go dormant. At different times of your life it may resurface. Most peoples immune systems will clear the virus and make it dormant again. That is why we still screen for it but space out the frequency you need to screen when you are negative. The higher risk strains require closer follow up. It is good you tested negative for 16/18. That doesn t mean you don t have those strains, it just means those strains aren t being active right now. Whenever your immune system takes a little hiccup the virus can come out. Common times for it to come out can be around the time of a pregnancy and also around the time of menopause. Anything that alters your immune system can allow it to come out. Smoking affects your immune system and can make the virus more active. The majority of the population has HPV but they just never have issues with it, so don t feel like you are alone. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Stephanie Fugate, OB and GYN Specialist