HPV
What is HPV?
HPV stands for human papilloma virus. It is a very common virus. There are about 100 types of HPV that affect different parts of the body. About 30 types of HPV can affect the genitals — including the vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, and scrotum — as well as the rectum and anus. Of those, about 13 types are considered "high risk," for leading to cervical cancer.
How common is HPV?
HPV that affects the genitals is very common. As many as 20 million people are thought to have an active HPV infection at any given time, and as many as 5.5 million new cases of genital HPV infection occur in the United States each year. Most men and women — about 80 percent of sexually active people — are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but most people never know they have the virus.
How do you get HPV?
Genital HPV is spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an HPV infection. Contact includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Some types of HPV cause genital warts, which are hard, rough lumps that develop on the skin. Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV and genital warts.
In women, genital warts most often appear:
- On the vulva (the outer female genital area)
- In or around the vagina
- In or around the anus
- On the groin (where the genital area meets the inner thigh)
- On the cervix
In many cases, HPV produces no symptoms. When they do occur, the most common symptom is the presence of warts in the genital area. Signs of infection can appear weeks, months, or even years after infection with the virus.
How is HPV treated?
There is no cure for the virus itself, but many HPV infections go away on their own. In fact, about 70 percent to 90 percent of cases of HPV infection are cleared from the body by the immune system. The treatment goal — when treatment is needed — is to relieve symptoms by removing any visible warts and abnormal cells in the cervix. Treatments that might be used include:
- Cryosurgery — freezing off the warts with liquid nitrogen.
- Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) — using a special wire loop to remove the abnormal cells
- Electrocautery — burning off the warts with an electrical current
- Laser therapy — using an intense light to destroy the warts and any abnormal cells
- Prescription cream — applying medicated cream directly to the warts (Do not use over-the-counter wart treatments on the genital area.)
Only a small number of women infected with HPV will develop cellular changes that need to be treated.
Is HPV preventable?
Using condoms every time you have sex can help reduce the risk of HPV. Be aware, however, that condoms do not cover all of the genital skin, so they are not 100 percent effective in protecting against the spread of HPV. A person with genital warts should not have sex until the warts are removed. This might help reduce the risk of spreading HPV.
Women should have regular pelvic exams and Pap tests to look for abnormal changes in the cervix that might be pre-cancer. Men and women should stop having sexual contact as soon as they know or think they have genital warts, and they should seek treatment immediately.
Get vaccinated with the new HPV vaccine. The first approved HPV vaccine, called Gardasil, is approved for girls and women ages 9 to 26 and protects against the development of cervical cancer. It is best to get the vaccine before the start of sexual activity. The vaccine consists of a series of three shots, with shot two coming 2 months after the first, and shot three coming 6 months after the first. If you already have HPV, the vaccine does not treat or cure, but can still help protect against other types of HPV infections (other than those that cause cervical cancer; for example, the vaccine can help protect against the HPV that causes genital warts).
Credit: National Institute of Health.