Your Sexual Health - 3 Facts About HPV

More than 25 percent of American women are infected human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, according to new Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study. “Considering how common HPV is, it’s shocking that many women still don’t understand the real risks involved,” says study author Eileen Dunne, M.D., a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease and Prevention. Here, she clears up the confusion.

EVEEN ONE PARTNER INCREASES YOUR ODDS “Anyone who’s ever had sex can get HPV because it’s so prevalent,” says Dunne. Condoms may not keep you completely safe because the virus can be transmitted by other genital-to-genital contact.

HPV DOESN’T NECESSARILY LEAD TO CERVİCAL CANCER “Your immune system usually fights off the virus before it can do any lasting damage,” explains Dunne. And not all strains will cause warts or cancer. In fact, there are more than 40 sexually transmitted strains, but the JAMA study found the most dangerous types in only about 4 percents of women.

GETTING THE VACCINE DOESN’T ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR REGULAR PAP SMEARS Gardasil, the new HPV vaccine for women age 26 or younger, protects against the four types of the virus that are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers. “But you may be exposed to other cancer-causing strains,” says Dunne. Regular Paps are still the only way to detect changes in cervical cells so they can be removed before they become cancerous.”