Cervicovaginal cell samples were analyzed for the presence of human papillomavirus type 16 deoxyribonucleic acid. All 99 women included in the study had normal Papanicolaou smear results, normal findings on wet smear, and no clinical signs of genital papillomavirus or any other genital infection. Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction was performed with three different human papillomavirus type 16-specific primer pairs from the early 6, early 7, and upstream regulatory regions. Human papillomavirus type 16 was detected in 21% of the 99 women. Seven of 69 women (10%) who were not taking any medication except for cyclic estrogen or progestin replacement therapy were carriers of human papillomavirus type 16. Seven of 19 women (37%) who used hormonal contraceptives or who sought early pregnancy termination were carriers of human papillomavirus type 16. All 7 women with diseases that required frequent hospital care were carriers of human papillomavirus type 16. The 4 women who had never had sexual intercourse were not carriers of human papillomavirus type 16. Our results indicate that the human papillomavirus type 16 prevalence in women may reflect to some extent the general health conditions of the patients.