Recently one of my cousins went in for her regular yearly check up with her gynecologist. She’s on birth control pills, so she does have to go yearly for the check up in order to continue her prescription. The checkup is just a basic one. The doctor does a physical evaluation of the interior and exterior of the vagina, a manual breast exam, and of course, the Pap smear. For those who don’t know, a Pap smear (or Papanicolaou test) screens for cancerous and pre-cancerous cells in the cervix. It can be used to detect cervical cancer in the very beginning stages. My cousin received a call a few days afterward from her doctor, who stated her Pap smear results had come back abnormal.
She was told there was a chance she may have contracted HPV (genital human papillomavirus) and was recommended to get a biopsy of her cervix to see if there was any reason for concern. Of course, my dramatic overreacting cousin took it that she had indeed contracted HPV. She then called most of the family sobbing about how she was going to die of cervical cancer.
While, yes, she overreacted to the news from her doctor, she may also have not been properly educated on STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and female health. Many people are not educated on their sexual health, genitals, STIs, or sex with a partner. There are quite a few factors in this: schooling, relationships with parents, religion, and society. Unfortunately, many do not know what kinds of information to look for in books or online and may turn to unreliable sources like peers. I know when I had a sex question as a teenager, I asked a friend (who turned out to be pretty unreliable about sexual health).
For that reason, I’d like to provide some basic facts on HPV. Like many STIs, HPV can really lay low in your system. There aren’t any actual symptoms that can be experienced. Some infected with HPV develop warts, either around the genitals or (rarely) in the throat. HPV can lead to cervical, penile, vaginal, throat, and anal cancer. Out of those, cervical cancer is the most common. However, neither of those are really a symptom you can catch early on in infection. They’re more like the aftermath.
Out of all of the cases of HPV, 90% are cleared by the body’s immune system within 2 years. So, really, while HPV is nothing to laugh at, it’s not an instant death sentence. Those cases where the immune system cannot fend off the infection are the ones that may result in the above aftermath.
HPV is also one of the most common STIs out there. It is estimated that about 50% of sexually active people are infected at some point in their lives. “Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year.” (CDC, 2012)
There are a few methods of protecting yourself against HPV. There are vaccines available that prevent HPV. It is recommended to get these vaccines as a child; however adults up to 26 years old may get a different version of the vaccine if they never received one as a child. Sexually active adults can also protect themselves against HPV by limiting sexual partners or being in a monogamous relationship. Of course, this also requires that your partner(s) have been with very few people and have practiced safe sex every time. You can also use a condom to reduce the risk of exposure to HPV. However, since HPV can infect areas not covered by a condom, condoms may not fully protect you. Say your partner has a wart caused by HPV on an area other than their genitals and you touch it and then touch yourself. You could be spreading the infection to yourself. When using a condom, always make sure to put it on before beginning any sexual act.
Now you’re probably thinking, “Well, my partner(s) already took and passed an STI test before we had sex.” Unfortunately, a “general” STI test will not catch HPV. In fact, there aren’t really any tests for men at all and women can only be tested by Pap smears and related tests. This, unfortunately, means that there’s never any real way to tell if someone has HPV or not unless they already know about it.
HPV also has no cure. Fortunately, warts caused by HPV can be treated. Warts can be removed by a doctor or left alone to go away on their own. Treatment of cervical cancer depends fully on how advanced it is. You would need to discuss that with your doctor.
To sum it up: play it safe during sex. If you happen to be a female, make it a routine to visit your gynecologist every year for a Pap smear. Not only will the test tell you if you have HPV, it can also identify cervical cancer before cancerous cells develop. I highly recommend educating yourself on all of the STIs, including their causes, symptoms, and how to receive treatment.
Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering how my cousin is doing: she got the results back from her biopsy. It turns out the Pap smear results were false and she’s clear.