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| Your Body and Your Health: What You Need to Know About HPV by Sarah Cushing |
| Most of us have all heard of HPV. And, many of us know that HPV has something to do with our health. However, a whole lot of us don’t know much more about HPV than that. So, what does HPV stand for and why are so many people talking about it? And, most importantly, what does HPV mean to you and how can it affect your health? What is HPV? HPV stands for human papillomavirus. HPV is a group of common viruses that include more than 100 different types. The one talked about most commonly and the one we will discuss here is genital HPV. More than thirty types of HPV qualify as genital HPV. Some of these strains are high risk types that have serious negative health effects, other strains are classified as low risk types that have health effects that aren’t life-threatening and other types seem to cause no health effects. How do you get HPV? Genital HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted through genital contact. Anyone can get HPV and about 50 percent of all sexually active people will contract HPV at some point in their lives. |
What are the symptoms of HPV? Many people who have HPV don’t know they have the disease because HPV often doesn’t display any signs. However, some strains do cause genital warts which can act as a symptom. For women, an abnormal pap smear is another way to diagnose HPV. Women and teens eighteen and older or who are sexually active should get a pap smear every year to maintain the health of their reproductive organs. Men frequently don't know they have HPV |
| because they don’t go to doctor as regularly as women do, especially to get examinations that include their reproductive systems. Also, men often don’t display symptoms of the disease, which is another factor that contributes to men often not knowing they have HPV. How can HPV affect my health? As dicussed earlier, HPV can cause an array of health effects. Some strains of HPV have little to no effect on the body, whereas others can cause very serious, life-threatening health problems. Some strains can also lead to certain types of cancer, such as cervical, vulva or vaginal cancer. What about the HPV vaccine? There is a vaccine called Gardasil approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that creates resistance to the strains of HPV that cause genital warts and cervical cancer. The vaccine is a series of three shots over the course of six months and girls and women ages nine to twenty six are eligible to get the vaccine. Your primary care doctor can talk about this vaccine with you. |
| How can I prevent myself from getting HPV? The safest and most certain way to keep from getting HPV is to practice abstinence and refrain from sexual activity. However, if you choose to partake in sexual activity, you can protect yourself from HPV in other ways. Limiting your number of sexual partners and talking with your partner about HPV before you become sexually involved can help you stay |
| safe. Also, using a condom isn’t going to protect you or your partner against HPV. The skin in the groin area that isn’t covered by a condom can be infected with HPV, so all it takes to contract HPV is skin to skin contact. However, condom users do have a lower risk of getting cervical cancer, which is one of the cancers frequently associated and caused by certain HPV strains. |
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