Summary Introduction: During pregnancy viruses of high oncogenic potential - types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, which had so far remained in the state of chronic infection, undergo reactivation. Among the potential ways of HPV transmission to foetus, the direct perinatal infection is mentioned. In the antenatal period of pregnancy, a descending way of infection through blood is analyzed. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk factors and frequency of occurrence of HPV DNA of high oncogenic types in paraepidermal epithelium cells of the uterine cervix, in the trophoblast, and in the peripheral blood of pregnant patients. Material and methods: The research included 185 pregnant women hospitalized in the Delivery Room, of the Gynecological and Obstetric Clinic of the Poznan Medical University, in years 2005-2006. All patients who took part in the research had been interviewed prior to delivery with the help of a pre-designed questionnaire. Samples of cellular material from the cervix were collected before the delivery (185 specimens). 4-5 ml of peripheral blood (103 specimens) were collected as well. The collection of the cellular material was performed with the use of Cervex-Brush. Samples of tissue from placenta (138 specimens, including 5 pairs of twins) were collected after delivery. Results: The research concludes, that incidental or chronic infection evoked by HPV HR presence in paraepidermal epithelium cells of the uterine cervix has been observed in nearly 30% of pregnant women. The presence of HPV HR DNA in the placenta cells of the HPV HR positive mothers applies to less than 6,5% of the researched women. Identification of the genetic material of Papillomavirus in peripheral blood of pregnant women indicates that this occurrence is incidental. The analysis of the risk factor of the development of HPV infection has exerted that the positive result of molecular tests on the presence of HPV HR DNA concerns the population of young women from 18 to 30 years of age. Conclusions: Incidental or persistent infection with highly oncogenic types of HPV present in cervix paraepidermal epithelium cells is observed in approximately 30% of pregnant women. The presence of DNA HPV HR in trophoblast cells of HPV HR positive mothers is diagnosed rarely, in less than 7% of pregnant women. Human Papilloma Virus is present in the peripheral blood of pregnant women sporadically. None of the currently known risk factors of HPV infection may be correlated with DNA HPV HR presence in pregnant women.