Hello
Sorry you are going through this. But do NOT blame yourself. The stats are about 85% of people will have the HPV virus at some point in their life. Most of them will never know they have it because their immune system will clear it without them ever having any symptoms of the virus. Men can carry it for years and never have any symptoms. And yes, it could have been dormant in your body for several years. It could have been dormant in your husbands body for several years before he met you. There is really no way to know. Just know that this is soooooo common that there is no way to know where you got it or how long that you have had it. Now that you know you have it, prevention is the key. So, listen to your dr., ask questions, and keep up on those paps for the rest of your life!
Here's a couple good sites:
http://www.gynalternatives.com/cervical_dysplasia.htm
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/sexual-health/std/hpv.htm
Here's a good quote from planned parenthood and the link above
"Genital HPV infections are very common among sexually active people. At any time about 20 million people in the U.S. have them. Between 10 and 15 million have high-risk types that are associated with cervical cancer. HPV is so common that about three out of four people have HPV at some point in their lives. But most people who have it don't know it.
Although most HPV infections go away within eight to 13 months, some will not. HPV infections that do not go away can "hide" in the body for years and not be detected. That's why it is impossible to determine exactly when people became infected, how long they've been infected, or who passed the infection to them.
If you have HPV, you should not be ashamed or afraid. Most people who have ever had sex have HPV at some point in their lives."