HPV, or the human papillomavirus virus, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world. HPV is passed through genital contact during vaginal or anal sex. It can also be passed from skin-to-skin contact. At least 50 percent of sexually active people will contract HPV at some point in their lives.
Both men and women are susceptible to HPV and can unknowingly pass it on. Those especially prone to the HPV virus are those sexually active at a young age, those who engage in sex with multiple partners, and those who engage in sex with someone who has had multiple partners.
Many are unaware of the prevalence of HPV because it often has no symptoms and goes away on its own. Because of the lack of symptoms, a person may have HPV for years, even if she has not been sexually active for much of that time. Although HPV is generally relatively harmless, in certain instances, specific types of HPV can have potentially dangerous side effects.
Potential Side Effects
There are over 100 different strains of HPV. While many of these strains cause no health issues and simply clear up on their own, certain types of HPV are responsible for side effects including genital warts, cervical cancer, vaginal cancer or cancer of the vulva. HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for approximately 70 percent of instances of cervical cancer. HPV types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of all cases of genital warts, cause between 20 to 50 percent of cancer of the vulva and are responsible for 60 to 65 percent of vaginal cancers.
Genital Warts
Genital warts are the most symptomatic side effect of HPV. Genital warts appear as small bumps or groups of bumps around the vaginal or genital area, including the vagina, anus, cervix, penis, scrotum, groin or thighs. There may be a single bump or wart, or multiple bumps. The warts might be small or large, raised or flat. Sometimes they are round and sometimes shaped like a cauliflower. The warts generally appear within weeks or months of contracting HPV, although they may never appear.
Genital warts may clear up and go away on their own. They may remain unchanged. You may develop more of them, or the warts may get larger. While genital warts can be treated, the virus itself will remain in your system and can still be passed on to others.
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is another potential side effect of HPV. Cervical cancer does not have outward symptoms until it is very advanced, however, it typically takes a long time for HPV to develop into cervical cancer.
HPV causes cell changes that can ultimately lead to cervical cancer and these cell changes can be identified by a routine Pap Smear. The Pap test looks for cell changes and typically identifies them early so they can be treated before the changes progress into cancer. Early cell changes can be treated by relatively non-evasive laser procedures that preserve fertility and have little to no long-term side effects.
Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers
Vaginal cancer is another potential side effect of HPV. Vaginal cancer is cancer of the vagina and vulvar cancer includes cancer of the clitoris, vaginal lips and vaginal opening.
These types of cancer are rare and are difficult to diagnose early, as there are no symptoms until the diseases are quite advanced.
HPV Tests
The FDA has approved an HPV test for women 30 years of age and older. This test is separate from the pap smear and is not a replacement for annual pap smears.
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