Did you know that HPV is so common that 80 per cent of sexually active women and men contract it at some point in their lives? The human papillomavirus HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world, and the most virulent genotypes can cause cervical cancer. Find out the seven biggest myths about HPV!
MIT No. 1: I am not at risk of HPV infection
Infection with the human papilloma virus occurs not only during sexual intercourse, but also through direct contact with the blood or saliva of an infected person. This means that infection can occur in many places - at the beautician, hairdresser or tattoo studio. [1] Furthermore, transmission can also occur through the use of the same towels or personal hygiene items.
Both men and women can become ill - and pass it on - without even knowing it. What is more, even couples in long-term relationships can be affected by HPV. Anyone can be infected with HPV, although the risk increases with the number of sexual partners you - or your partner - have had throughout your life. Other factors that increase the risk of infection include:
- Early onset of sexual intercourse
- Sexual partners at risk
- Inadequate hygiene of the intimate area
- High number of births attended
- Long-term hormonal contraception
- Having sex without condom protection [2].
MIT No. 2: HPV infection = cervical cancer
There are more than 100 different types of HPV, which we can divide into two main categories - low-risk and high-risk. Low-risk HPV can cause warts in the genital area, anus, mouth and throat. High-risk oncogenic HPVs, on the other hand, can cause a wide variety of cancers - anal, vulvar, oral, pharyngeal, vaginal, penile, with cervical cancer at the forefront. It is estimated that two strains of HPV - 16 and 18 - are responsible for 70 per cent of cervical cancers, leading to approximately 500,000 new cases and 270,000 deaths worldwide each year. [3]
HPV infection is fortunately not a sentence and is not synonymous with cervical cancer. In most cases, HPV goes away on its own within two years without serious health problems, but sometimes HPV infections are not effectively controlled by the immune system. When high-risk HPV persists in the body for many years, it can lead to cellular changes that, if left untreated, can worsen over time and develop into cancer. [4]
Find out more about the human papilloma virus at https://colpofix.pl/, which provides comprehensive information on HPV.
MIT No. 3: HPV infection mainly affects older people
Anyone can be infected with the human papillomavirus, and the most common HPV infections occur not in middle age, but in men and women aged 15 to 25 years - they account for more than half of infected people. [5]
MIT No. 4: I have one sexual partner, so I am not at risk of contracting HPV
All sexually active people can become infected with HPV, even if they only have sex with one person. What's more, symptoms of infection can appear many years after infection, so there is no way of knowing which partner was the source of the infection or when it happened. For this reason, too, HPV infection in a long-term relationship does not indicate infidelity on the part of the partner. HPV infection is so widespread that many experts consider it an unavoidable consequence of normal sexual activity.
MIT No. 5: HPV infection produces characteristic symptoms
Infection with the human papilloma virus usually does not produce any symptoms and in about nine out of 10 cases the infection resolves spontaneously within two years - for this reason, many infected people will never know that they have undergone an infection caused by the virus.
Some women infected with low-risk HPV may develop genital warts, which are not a serious health risk - they can also occur in men, but are far less common. Furthermore, some women infected with high-risk HPV may develop invisible cellular changes that, over time, can lead to cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, head and neck cancers.
The only way to detect them, therefore, is to visit a gynaecologist who, with the help of simple tests, will check for the presence of lesions, set a time for a follow-up visit and, if necessary, decide on the appropriate treatment.
MIT No. 6: Condoms completely eliminate the possibility of HPV infection
Condoms provide some, but not 100 per cent, protection against HPV because they do not cover the entire skin of the intimate area. While they do not reliably block the spread of HPV, they also provide significant protection against most other STIs - which is why it is so important to always remember to use condoms with every new partner.
MIT No. 7: HPV infection affects fertility
HPV infection does not affect fertility and reproductive capacity is not reduced.
Source: medonet.pl
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