HPV Facts: Q + A

24 Comments

Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.* Yet most women are in the dark about the virus and its signs and symptoms.

Considering that nearly 50% of sexually active people will get HPV at some time in their lives, it’s time to become enlightened. Get the facts with these questions and answers.

Q. How do individuals get HPV?

A. HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex, but it can also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. You can also pass HPV to others without knowing it.

Q. What are the symptoms of genital HPV?

A. Most women who have HPV don’t know they have it. That’s because there are often no symptoms and the infection usually goes away on its own without causing any health problems. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally.

Yet other times, certain types of HPV can cause genital warts and other HPV types can cause cervical cancer. There is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.

Q. Does having HPV mean a woman will get cancer?

A. No. Most types of HPV do not lead to cancer. It’s important to get regular Pap tests to check for changes in your cervix and ensure early detection of cervical cancer.

Q. Is there a cure for HPV?

A. No, there is no cure but there are treatments for the various health problems the virus causes like genital warts and cervical cancer. Even after genital warts are treated, however, the virus remains in the body and HPV can still be passed on to sex partners.

Q. How can I prevent HPV?

A. Vaccines can protect women against some of the most common types of HPV. The vaccines are most effective when given before a woman’s first sexual contact when she could be exposed to HPV. However the surest way to prevent HPV is not to have sex. Condom use and limiting the number of sex partners can help lower the risk of HPV.

Q. What should I know about the vaccination process?

A. It’s important that the vaccine be given in three doses over six months. Doctors recommend that all 11- and 12-year-old girls get vaccinated against HPV. It’s also recommended for women up to age 26 if they did not get all three vaccine doses when they were younger.

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rate this article

What others are saying

Debra, 9/24/2009 3:56:04 PM
Please do not consent to take the new
HPV (Gardarsil) vaccine. It is very dangerous. It could end the life of your
daughters. The series of 3 vaccines
can cause very serious side-effects.
One of them is seizures, headaches
and severe pain at the injection site. There were complaints about the drug on the internet. Do not chance your daughter's life with this injection. It would be better to avoid all sexual activity. Your young life is more important than early or unplanned sexual activity. Do your best to be more natural in protecting your body,mind and spirit. If you don't post this comment, then someone else will. Sincerely
Claire, 9/24/2009 5:40:43 PM
This short Q&A omits information that there have been deaths attributed to receving this vaccine. I beleive it was pushed into use too early by the FDA and the drug co. that created it. My daughters will NOT be getting this vacine until or I can be totally sure that it will not cause more harm than good.
Karen, 9/24/2009 6:32:56 PM
Please educate your daughters about sex.
Look at the side effects of this to the daughters of those who have chosen to subject their daughters to this quite new vacine. Please not another vacine. Does Kotex have money in the company that owns this patern?
jean, 9/24/2009 8:49:49 PM
What about the over 80 deaths caused by the vaccine, is that worth possibly catching hpv esp for a nine year old or young girl? No one seems to bring up these cases even though they may be rare. Is the risk of cervical cancer or warts worth that?
kim kline, 9/24/2009 10:42:56 PM
i heard that this vaccine can cause a girl to not be able to bear children later in life.
could you confirm or deny this?
confidential , 9/25/2009 6:39:37 AM
What if you already have hpv. Is the vaccine still useful?
Jane , 9/25/2009 7:47:40 AM
Go search the internet more first! There are many many cases where girls have ended up with nerve damage, paralyzed or even killed by this stuff!! (Of course the drug manufacturers don't tell you this). Go on youtube and look uo "guardasil" once first! I think it's only fair BOTH sides of this come out!! The problem is that parents don't take the time today to teach their children stuff they need to know, and instill values that we had taught to us as kids. If parents would only do this instead of always taking the quick and easy way out today, we wouldn't have to worry about our kids getting s.t.d.'s! (Look at it this way...why weren't our parents and grandparents "running around" with everyone and catching all these S.T.D.'s back then when there was no vaccine for these kinds of things? The answer is simple: They were raised with strong values and morals to not be in such a hurry, if you will, to "run around" with people! ...Let's get back to the basics people instead of risking our kids' health (and lives).
Daisy, 9/25/2009 8:30:08 AM
Thank you for publishing this article. I've been struggling with this for 3 years. My family doctor and my pediatrician are at different sides of this controversy. Your non-biased facts helped me to make the decision that's right for my family.
Carrie, 9/25/2009 8:44:31 AM
As a parent it is my job to protect my child from anything I can. Even though your child is not sexually active, to your knowledge, the fact is one day she will be. If your honest with yourself, you will admit that she may/may not ever know the complete details of her partners sexual history. It ismy job to protect my daughters NOW from diseases they may be exposed to, hopefully much later, in life. If you read all the side effects, potential and proven, for anything you put in your body, you would place your child in a bubble and never allow them to place anything in their bodies!
Gaynor, 9/25/2009 8:46:32 AM
I will be waiting for more info on this vaccine before my girls get it...and I would also want to discuss it with them first. I can't help but feel that it is their decision to make, not mine.

And where is the vacine for boys? We don't give ourselves HPV? This vaccine is one more way to let men off the hook..."I gave you genital warts? Well you should have had the shot."
Lisa, 9/25/2009 9:02:20 AM
I agree with the comments about the side effects. I would want more information and studies before exposing my child to a vaccince that really does not have enough time behind it like the H1N1 vaccaine.
Gloria, 9/25/2009 10:16:42 AM
The last report I saw from the CDC said there were 43 deaths after 25 million vacinations. Check reputable websites like the CDC and speak to the doctor that knows your daughter best. I am not for or against the vaccine, but I am for getting accurate information.
Michelle, 9/25/2009 11:10:50 AM
Wow... I can't believe that this many woman in 2009 can be so ignorant to the fact that at some point your daughter will have sex. No matter how strong their values are, they will have sex. HPV is real as well as the other STD's. Just because you nay not be sexual activie with many men doesn't put you free and clear of not catching HPV. Even when using a condom, you can still catch HPV. Unless both consenting adults are virgins, you are always at risk. Men don't know they have HPV and can pass it on to each of their partners, be it 1 or 30. I'm not saying that the vaccination should be given to a 9 year old but cervical cancer is real and I am sure most of you know many woman who have cervical cancer or have tested postive for HPV. They are just not telling you. 80% of woman have HPV. That is a fact if you reasearch it online or ask your DR. Most woman don't know until iot is too late. This article gave the facts and not their opinion. The additional facts are your daughter will be sexual active and 80% of them will contract HPV unless the STD is stopped.
Heather, 9/25/2009 2:22:09 PM
Please teach your daughters their value. They are priceless. They need to know that they don't have to have sex. The media and our society currently talks about it like cheap trading cards that you have to have. Our girls need to know that their bodies belong to them and that they are not animals who cannot control themselves. They are worth far more than this world tells them. We have to BE PARENTS. Teach them TRUTH. Teach them RIGHT and WRONG. Teach them SELF CONTROL. LOVE them enough to tell them that when they choose an action they simultaneously choose a consequence. PROTECT THEM. This vaccine is dangerous. Anytime you try to "get rid" of consequences- it's dangerous. Our daughters are worth too much!!!
For reference, 9/25/2009 2:56:00 PM
Gardasil is not known to cause infertility.
Check the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm179549.htm
Lori, 9/25/2009 4:15:24 PM
Unfortunately, "just say no" to sex doesn't work. Humans have been having sex and "running around" for thousands of years. And, yes, our parents and grandparents did get these diseases. They just weren't talked about or they were called by euphemistic names. All vaccines and all medical procedures, even having your teeth cleaned at the dentist, carry some risk, including the rare risk of death. Try as you might to instill your values in your children, they do eventually grow up and may reject your values. Parents need to make reasoned and educated decisions based on reliable information from a doctor, not based on hysteria or unsubstantiated intenet postings.
Lynn, 9/25/2009 4:17:20 PM
What they also don't tell you is that they don't know how long this lasts and it is recommended that a booster is given every 5 years.
Mary, 9/25/2009 5:00:43 PM
All this vaccine amounts to is more profits for phiser and merck!! This shhhhhhugar *ahem* is pure poison! Look what's it's done to how many dozen girls!! Believe it or not, the latest word is that they want to start giving it to boys! (Yes, you read that right) What on earth does a boy need a cervical cancer drug for -except more $$ for the drug companies!
Diana, 9/25/2009 6:39:14 PM
My 11 year-old received the first of three shots in August. She's just fine. She also was raised in a lutheran school till 2nd grade and has a good head on her shoulders. I chose this to protect her when she's older, not to turn my head and pretend the world is all sunshine and lollypops.
Me., 9/25/2009 9:46:11 PM
What if you have HPV. And you go back to get another pap smear and they tell you that the abnormal cells are nothing serious and they disappear. Does that mean that the HPV if gone?
Cheryl, 9/27/2009 8:02:24 AM
If your child believes in abstinence until marriage, like I do, then you do not have to get them the vaccine. I'm 18 yrs old and my doctor keeps trying to push me to get this vaccine when I don't need it.

One of my girlfriend's mothers works at a pediatric place and she has seen girls go temporarily blind, and pass out as they were walking out of the office. This vaccine is bad news.

Unless your daughter is sexually active or planning to be very soon, I would not suggest getting her this vaccine (I also feel that it almost encourages girls by making them think they are safe from std's. And remember- nuns don't get STD's)
Smarty, 9/30/2009 2:54:33 AM
For the woman who said past generations didn't "get" STD's then how do you explain all these older women who have cervical cancer and have to get a hysterectomy? Back then they didn't know HPV is what causes cervical cancer. HPV IS HOW YOU GET CERVICAL CANCER. And HPV really is the common cold of the STD's. If you've ever had a bad pap smear you had HPV so I guess everyone "runs" around.
Carolyn, 10/2/2009 12:25:06 PM
In response to "If your child believes in abstinence until marriage, like I do, then you do not have to get them the vaccine. I'm 18 yrs old and my doctor keeps trying to push me to get this vaccine when I don't need it. " Even if these are your beliefs and you practice them, your future partner may not, even if he says that he has. He may believe that he does not carry HPV, based upon the fact that symptoms in men may not exist. Therefore, he may not admit to you that he has not always practiced abstinence. Make sure to get all your facts, both from your doctor and from other forms of investigation and then make an informed decision.
Kim, 12/4/2009 8:10:26 PM
I turn 27 next month and only recently heard about the vaccine. Is there some property of the vaccine that makes it ineffective in older women? Why am I too old to be protected?

Share your thoughts

Thank you! Your comment will be reviewed and, if approved, posted to the site. Please check back soon.