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8 Things People Still Get Wrong About HPV

First, something that isn’t a myth: There’s a pretty good chance you’ll contract HPV within your lifetime.

That’s not alarmist or overblown, it’s just a fact. Sorry. It’s the most common STI in the US. An estimated 42 percent of Americans between age 18 and 59 are infected with it right now, according to the most recent stats from the National Center for Health Statistics. Eighty-five percent of women will be infected in their lifetimes, and the CDC offers this bleak fact: “HPV is so common that almost every person who is sexually-active will get HPV at some time in their life if they don’t get the HPV vaccine.” And while not every strain of HPV causes cancer, more than one…

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Featured

 Everything You Need to Know About HPV

Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but odds are you either have, have had, or will have at least one type of HPV at some point in your life. And I don't just mean cis women—I'm talking all sexually active people.

 HPV Infection Rates Plummet With Vaccination

Controversy has followed human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines such as Gardasil since their introduction. This is despite study after study that have confirmed their safety and efficacy. Most of this controversy is based not on the real, documented effects of the vaccine; controversy has ridden in on the wave of the anti-vaccine movement. There is little debate among doctors about the benefits of the shot. Doctors reading the anti-vaccination propaganda quickly find themselves falling down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland of religious puritanism, alternative medicine sales pitches and conspiracy theories. Let's unwrap some of this.

 My Doctor Told Me I Have HPV, Now What?

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with HPV, it’s important to first take a deep breath! While HPV may sound scary, it’s actually fairly common. Experts estimate that about 80 percent of adults in the United States will eventually get HPV during their lives. But if you test positive for a high-risk strain of HPV, it does mean there is potential risk in developing cervical cancer, which should be monitored.

 Oral sex has helped HPV spread to 1 in 9 American men

The most common sexually transmitted infection is becoming even more widespread in part thanks to the rise in popularity of oral sex.

 Short Answers to Hard Questions About HPV

About 40 strains of HPV are transmitted through direct contact with infected skin or mucous membranes during vaginal, anal and oral sex. Many sexually active people are exposed to the virus by their early 20s, indicating that it is hardly only a risk for people who engage in promiscuous sex.

 What is HPV and why should I care?

Stop right now. Look around you. Do you have five people around you? If not picture you and four friends. Of this group of five individuals four of you will contract at least one strand of HPV during your life. That is right. Eighty percent of you will contract HPV. You could ask those same individuals you are around if they know what HPV is and I’d venture to say no one really knows; they might remember something about a shot, they might have heard something about it jokingly in a television show or movie, but can they describe what it is and why it is an issue? Mostly likely not.

Articles of Interest

The Stigma Around HPV Needs to Die Already

Regardless of whether or not you're vaccinated, however, HPV is not usually a major problem. That woman who was certain her diagnosis was a one-way ticket to cancer? It's not. While HPV is linked to various cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and head/neck, most people will never develop an HPV-related cancer. If you're diagnosed, try to stay calm, ask your doctor questions, and follow their recommendations.

Can You Have Sex When You Have HPV?

It might seem highly irresponsible to even consider having sex when you know you have an STI. But, as we mentioned, HPV is pretty much everywhere. It’s so prevalent that it really makes more sense for people to assume anyone they’re having sex with has this virus than the reverse. Depending on your unique situation, it might make sense to tell your current or previous partners what you’re dealing with

Close to Half of American Adults Infected With HPV, Survey Finds

HPV is a ubiquitous virus, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. About 40 strains of the virus are sexually transmitted, and virtually all sexually active individuals are exposed to it by their early 20s.

Cornering A Killer

Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery--oncologists try everything to treat cervical cancer. Yet of the 470,000 women who contract the disease worldwide each year (15,000 in the U.S.), half die within five years. This cancer kills 200,000 women annually (5,000 in the U.S.), one of the biggest cancer killers of women in the world. Yet virtually all the cases were avoidable, even preventable: The cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted disease known as HPV (human papillomavirus). Insidious and prodigious, HPV is the fastest-spreading STD.

Does HPV Go Away on Its Own, or Does It Stick Around Forever?

If you have HPV, you’re probably wondering: Does HPV go away? And if so, how long does it take for HPV to go away, exactly? Both are valid questions. And the good news is the answers are: usually and it depends.

HPV - The Cancer Virus

In the early 1970's, HPV received a great deal of media attention when Harald zur Hausen first postulated its ability to cause the second most common cancer in women...cervical cancer. Now, who gets the HPV vaccine has become the overriding issue, especially if its your kid!

HPV and Cancer

Persistent HPV infections are now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer. In 2007, it was estimated that 11,000 women in the United States would be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 would die from it. Cervical cancer strikes nearly half a million women each year worldwide, claiming a quarter of a million lives.

HPV Vaccines Are Reducing Infections, Warts — and Probably Cancer

An analysis covering 66 million young people has found plummeting rates of precancerous lesions and genital warts after vaccination against the human papillomavirus.

HPV: It's Not Just For Ladies Anymore

Bad news on HPV: it now seems to be the leading cause of throat cancer in men. Worse news: it may be spread by kissing.

HPV: It's Not Just For Ladies Anymore

Bad news on HPV: it now seems to be the leading cause of throat cancer in men. Worse news: it may be spread by kissing.

Just Because an STD Is Curable Doesn’t Mean It Can’t Mess You Up

HPV can cause genital warts, but is also associated with some cancers, including not just cervical cancer, but cancers of the throat in both men and women. (Thankfully, many high-risk types of HPV are vaccine-preventable.) Untreated STIs can also increase the risk of HIV infection. Heather Corinna, founder of youth sex education site Scarleteen, notes that there's another reason to get tested—if you've got access to health care, you're looking out for those who don't. You're also protecting people with compromised immune systems who could get really sick from that thing you can treat with a quick course of antibiotics.

Men Found Six Times More Likely Than Women To Have Highest Risk HPV Infection

More than three times as many men than women in the U.S. have oral infections with human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus responsible for causing 31,500 new cancers every year, found a new study. And the HPV strain responsible for the vast majority of HPV-related cancers in the U.S. occurred orally six times more often in men than in women, researchers learned.

Oral Rinses Used For Tracking HPV-Positive Head And Neck Cancers Holds Promise For Cancer Screening

A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, validates a non-invasive screening method with future potential for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancers.

STDs...The Latest is...Head and Neck Cancer

The incidence of head and neck cancer is going down. The bad news is another type of head and neck cancer is on the rise and is related to a common STD...HPV the same virus implicated in cervical cancer. Could oral sex play a role?

Understanding HPV Infection

Most HPV infections don't lead to cancer. But some types of genital HPV can cause cancer of the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina (cervix). Other types of cancers, including cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and back of the throat (oropharyngeal), have been linked to HPV infection. Vaccines can help protect against the strains of genital HPV most likely to cause genital warts or cervical cancer.

We can overcome vaccine hesitancy. Just look at the HPV shot.

What we can learn from the shot that protected a generation of women from cancer.

When Is HPV a Problem?

The Gardasil vaccine protects against some strains of human papillomavirus, but what about the rest?

Yes, humans and Neanderthals had sex. And they gave us an STD

Human papillomavirus — also known as HPV — can be a sly little invader. When it infects us, the tiny, pollen-shaped virus burrows into the skin and mucous membranes and can cause genital warts and cancer. For many, the infection clears up on its own. But in the cases where it persists, the virus can live in the body for years, silently spread to other people through unprotected sex, and cause cancer in the cervix, throat, or anus.

Resources

10 Facts Everyone Should Know About HPV

Diagnoses like HPV can be complicated, and also unfairly laden with stigma. Research shows that shame and fear surrounding sexual health issues can be a barrier to testing and management. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Experts say that educating yourself can help take the scariness out of an HPV diagnosis and help you manage your health.

HPVandMe

Our mission is to provide education about HPV infection, the HPV vaccine, and HPV-related cancers, specifically HPV-related oropharyngeal or head and neck cancers—now the #1 HPV cancer, surpassing cervical cancer.

HPVhelp.org

This website contains usefull information on HPV facts, treatment and prevention. All of your questions about this virus will be answered! Knowledge is power and this is more true today than ever before.

Your Std Help

According to the CDC at least 20 million people in the USA are infected with Hpv. Many of whom are infected with the strains that cause Genital Warts and cervical cancer. At least half of the US population will acquire Hpv and Genital Warts by the time they reach 50 years of age and 80% of women will be infected with Genital Warts by the end of there life time.

CDC

Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). The virus infects the skin and mucous membranes. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of men and women, including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), and anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, and rectum.

Gardasil

GARDASIL is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV): 2 types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL is for girls and young women ages 9 to 26.

MedlinePlus

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are common viruses that can cause warts. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Most are harmless, but about 30 types put you at risk for cancer. These types affect the genitals and you get them through sexual contact with an infected partner.