This blog entry is 1 in a series of 3 in relation to HPV. The first article will compile general information about HPV, the transmission of HPV, debunking myths, and the progression of HPV to cervical cancer. The second blog entry focusing on prevention with the Gardasil® vaccine and the third blog will address genital warts from HPV 6 and 11.
The Truth about HPV
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is virus that is the cause of almost 100% of cervical cancer diagnoses and over 70% of head and neck cancers. The two most aggressive strains of HPV that account for these cancers are type 16 and/or 18. HPV has over 100 strains, with 30-40 of them being isolated in the lower genital tract of both men and women. Of those 30-40 strains there are 13 high-risk strains that may lead to cancer and the rest of the strains affecting the genital tract account for outbreaks of genital warts.
HPV is so incredibly common and there is a lot of misinformation out there. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate facts to our patients to address your questions and fears. New research on HPV is constantly being done so we are now able to debunk the myths and tell you the truth of HPV as we know it today.
Myths about HPV:
- Only transmitted through sexual intercourse.
- Only promiscuous people contract HPV.
- Once exposed to HPV you will have it the rest of your life.
- There is a screening test for HPV in men.
- The Gardasil vaccine is only beneficial if you are not sexually active.
- The Gardasil vaccine will cause HPV.
- If you have a high-risk strain of HPV then you have genital warts.
- If you have a high-risk strain of HPV already then you shouldn’t get Gardasil.
- If you are a lesbian then you are not at risk for exposure to HPV.
The original thought was that HPV was a sexually transmitted disease that was only contracted by vaginal/penile intercourse. Now we know that although it is still strongly linked to sexual activity, including oral sex, digital manipulation and sex toys; there is evidence that not all exposures are from sexual contact. HPV is a virus that is spread by skin to skin contact and has actually been isolated under fingernails in some studies.
HPV is thought of as the “flu of the cervix” as most all strains are transient and resolve with time. Our bodies have the ability to clear HPV on its own if we have an intact immune system. Recommendations on ways to boost your immunity are to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, take daily vitamins, not smoking, and exercise most days of the week, good hand-washing and wearing condoms 100% of the time if not in a monogamous relationship. The Gardasil vaccine is also helpful in boosting your immune response to HPV 16,18,6,& 11. Once exposed to HPV our body can typically clear the virus to an undetectable level anywhere between 6-24 months. HPV often has two peaks. The first being before the age of 25 as it often relates to the onset of sexual activity and sometimes again in the 4th decade for an unknown reason.
There are explicit guidelines on how and when to screen for HPV taking into account your age and any other high risk factors that may affect your health. It is important that pap tests be performed based on an individual basis and at the discretion of your health care provider. The key to reducing the risk of HPV developing into invasive cancer is to screen frequently. Although the progression from HPV exposure to invasive cervical cancer is approximately 10-12 years, it is best to identify the cellular changes that may be occurring/ progressing and treat them as appropriate. This is important because 50-70% of the women diagnosed with cervical cancer have not received a pap smear in the past 5 years.
The goal is to prevent the wide-spread transmission of HPV and to focus on the treatment of any dysplasia…not curing the disease at this time because it is possible to significantly reduce the prevalence of HPV and more importantly cervical cancer.
So if you are due or overdue for your annual pap smear and Well Woman Exam please give the office a call to schedule your appointment at your convenience.
If you would like to know more about HPV and the immunization against the two most common types of HPV that may develop into cervical cancer and the two most common strains that form genital warts please look for next week’s blog entry on Gardasil vaccine.
The following websites are excellent resources for HPV and I encourage you to educate yourself about the virus and ways of prevention.
Ashastd.org
cdc.gov/std/hpv
arhp.org
acs.org
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