What Are the Symptoms of Human Papillomavirus or HPV
Of all the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common. HPV is a virus with over 100 different strains, some of which are responsible for warts, genital warts, and even cervical and oral cancer. HPV infection is quite common. It is thought that up to half of the sexually active population is infected. Although most cases are free of symptoms and are not dangerous, a small percentage of HPV infections can lead to cancer, which is why it is so important to get yourself tested regularly for HPV. If you want to know more about HPV, oneHowTo.com will explain to you what the symptoms of the genital human papillomavirus or HPV are.
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About 90% of people infected with HPV don't have any symptoms of this disease, which is why many people do not know they have it, and do not take the preventative measures to avoid infecting their partners. The only way to know for sure that you don't have HPV is to get yourself tested.
There are a few strains of HPV that cause symptoms. If infected with these strains, the symptoms will be genital warts or papillomas, an external symptom of the presence of HPV in our body.
Genital warts are observed within weeks or months of infection, and can occur regardless of whether the infected person had warts or not, hence the importance of always using a condom. Often, the warts go unnoticed. This is especially true for women, who can develop warts on the inside of the vagina or on the cervix. The warts are not painful, and if not visible, may very well go unnoticed. Luckily, the strains of the HPV virus that cause genital warts are not the same as those that may cause cancer.
Genital warts caused by HPV can be in the form of grains or little grains staying together, small or medium in size, flat or lumpy in texture. If not treated they can stay the same size and in the same quantity, increase or disappear, but it is recommended that if you notice them you see a doctor to receive appropriate treatment.
Although the HPV that causes genital warts can alarm us, these types rarely become future cancer cases. It is however possible to be infected with more than one strain at a time.
In most cases the body will eliminate the virus within two years, however, there are cases where their presence leads to the transformation of certain cells, resulting in future cervical cancer, cancer of the vagina, penis, anus or mouth, pharynx or throat cancer, due to HPV transmission through unprotected oral sex.
Some experts suggest that HPV is so common that any sexually active person is at risk for any of its types at least once in their life, so protecting yourself properly to avoid it is very important. Unfortunately, HPV transmission, although greatly reduced, is still possible even with the use of a condom.
For HPV to turn into cancer you have to get the type that includes this possibility, as not every HPV strain causes this disease. The high-risk types are HPV 16, 18, 45, 33, 31, 52, 58 and 35.
Many years can pass before the appearance of this disease, the main problem being the lack of timely detection of some cancers such as cancer of the cervix. For this reason, it is important to regularly do a pap smear, which is a test that checks for the presence of abnormal cervical cells.
Although it is a very common sexually transmitted disease, getting a type of high-risk HPV could endanger our lives, so it is important to use condoms for all vaginal or anal intercourse and implement security measures to perform oral sex.
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