While it is mostly found in heterosexual women, it also is a problem for women who have sex with other women.
Researchers say that contrary to that notion, women can pass the virus to other women.
They urge that lesbians have regular Pap smears on the same schedule recommended for heterosexual women. Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, says she became interested in studying whether HPV could be transmitted from one woman to another when she was a research fellow at the University of Washington. I wanted to know if the recommendation for Pap smears should be different for them and whether they had contacted HPV from previous encounters with men. The most harmless types cause no problems or may possibly spawn genital warts. The more severe types can develop into cervical cancer in women, penile cancer in men, and other genital cancers.