Happy Healthy Thursday, dear Pinkies! On Thursdays, we at Owning Pink dedicate the day to Owning Our Health. Today’s post is in response to a host of questions you Pinkies have been asking. Since HPV is so common, I thought we’d tackle this sensitive topic together.
I just found out I have HPV. What is it?
HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and it will infect 75% of young women before the age of 50, if they don’t get vaccinated. It’s the virus that causes genital and anal warts, abnormal pap smears, and cervical cancer. Even if you’re a virgin when you hook up with someone, you can end up with HPV- even if your partner has only slept with one other person. This is not a disease of freaks and hoochies. (If it is, then I’m one of those hoochies, since I got it from my husband. Poor guy. He feels bad.) Even if you’re really careful, you can still get it, and next thing you know, you’ve got genital warts and cervical cancer. While they do reduce the risk of transmission, condoms don’t completely protect you, since your labia can touch the skin around your partner’s genitals, even with a condom on. All it takes is intimate genital touching between you and your partner.
Why is HPV so common and why is everyone talking about it?
The strains of HPV that tend to cause abnormal pap smears and cervical cancer don’t cause any problems in men. So they don’t even know they have it. Which means they’re passing it around from woman to woman, like a beach ball. You gotta wonder when the guy says, “Oh, that’s so weird. ALL my girlfriends have had abnormal pap smears.” Duh, dude. It’s you!
What can happen to you if you catch HPV?
HPV can cause warts, abnormal pap smears, and cervical cancer. Usually, warts are caused by HPV types 6 and 11, the two most common strains. These strains cause problems for both men and women, since men can get genital warts and anal warts as well. Asking your partner if he’s ever had warts can give you an idea of whether your partner might carry HPV. But even if your partner says no, it doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. Some people carry the virus but their immune systems keep it from wreaking havoc on their genitals. Even so, they can shed the virus from their genitals and pass it along. Then if your immune system is weak one day, BOOM. There it is. Cauliflower crotch.
But warts are small potatoes, as far as HPV goes. HPV types 16 and 18 (the high risk types) can cause abnormal pap smears and cervical cancer. That’s why it’s so important to get pap smears regularly. As long as you get your pap smear once a year, you will probably never get cancer. But you may very well wind up with an abnormal pap smear, the way I did. If that happens, you’ll have to get a procedure called a colposcopy, which is a microscope we gynecologists use to get up-close-and-personal with your cervix to make sure there’s no cancer.
If I have HPV, what should I tell my sexual partners?
To keep your karma clean, it’s not a bad idea to tell your past and future sexual partners. Chances are, more than half of them have already been exposed, and one of them was the one who gave it to you. Because many strains of HPV do not cause problems for guys, your partner may not even know he has it. But technically, anyone who may have been infected by you should tell future sexual partners that they may carry HPV and may be able to transmit it. It gets very complicated, because your immune system may clear HPV from your system and make it undetectable at some point. So will you still be infectious five years from now? Probably not. But maybe. This is why it’s such a big problem. Some women seem to clear HPV, only to have it show up again when their immune system is suppressed, as it normally is during pregnancy.
What can I do if I have HPV?
Because HPV is a virus, there’s no real cure, the way there is for most bacteria. If you have warts, the warts can be treated. And if you have an abnormal pap smear, we investigate further with colposcopy, a test that helps us differentiate whether the abnormalities are mild or more severe. If they’re mild, we focus on supporting your immune system, while we take a wait-and-see approach, which means pap smears every three to six months until things get better or worse. If they get worse, it means treatment, like a LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure), which is the surgical procedure I had to have a few years back. Believe me. It’s no fun. But it beats the Big C.
Natural treatments aimed at supporting the immune system can help you clear the virus, but ultimately, you’re at the mercy of your immune system. So if you get HPV, you may have it for years. If you have access to an integrative medicine doctor or naturopath, they may be able to help you with some herbs and supplements that can stimulate your natural immune response. But otherwise, it’s all about treating any problems the HPV causes. Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill that can erase HPV worries forever.
If I don’t already have HPV, how can I prevent it?
You can use condoms, which reduces, but doesn’t eliminate, the risk of contracting HPV. You may also want to talk to your doctor about whether you are a candidate for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. The vaccine is a series of three injections aimed at protecting you against the four most common strains of HPV- types 6, 11, 16, and 18, the types that cause 70% of cervical cancer and 90% of genital and anal warts. The vaccine is given as three injections over a six month period and is FDA approved for girls and women age 9 to 26. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommend that all girls be given the vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12. There’s a lot of controversy about giving a young girl a vaccine against a sexually transmitted disease. But we do it already. Babies get vaccinated against Hepatitis B, which is another STD. When patients ask me whether I will vaccinate my own daughter, I tell them she’s still young, so more information about safety and efficacy will exist by the time she is old enough to get the vaccine. Assuming it’s proven safe and effective, I will vaccinate her. If I didn’t and she ended up with cervical cancer, how would I answer her if she asked, “Mom, why didn’t you vaccinate me when you had the chance?”
Did that help, Pinkies? I know it’s more fun to talk about Signs From the Universe and Living The Question. But remember that Owning Your Health solidifies the foundation upon which you build creativity, spirituality, surrender, balance, love and all the other aspects you’re trying to OWN. Don’t get so stuck in your head that you forget your body. Take care of yourselves, Pinkies!
With love and wishes for health and wholeness,
Dr. Lissa
To make an appointment to see holistic women’s health physician Dr. Lissa Rankin in person, call www.clearcenterofhealth.com.
Tags: abnormal pap smear, CDC, cervical cancer, cervical HPV, colposcopy, cryotherapy, Gardasil, genital warts, high risk HPV, HPV, HPV and abnormal pap smear, HPV cancer, HPV contagious, HPV cure, HPV men, HPV symptoms, HPV vaccine, HPV virus, HPV women, human papillomavirus, integrative medicine, LEEP, LEEP procedure, natural medicine, treatment for HPV, treatment of warts, vaccine HPV, warts, wats treatment, what is HPV
Lissa – thanks so much for posting this much needed information! I have a question about the frequency of pap smears. You mention getting pap smears once a year, which is the regime I’m used to. But now my HMO (and thus doctor) is saying I only need a pap smear every three years. How do you feel about these new recommendations?
Very few people actually qualify as “low risk” enough to meet the every three year guidelines put out by the American Cancer Society. You should be monogamous, ideally with few lifetime sexual partners. You need to have had normal pap smears your whole life with no history of precancerous cells or cervical cancer. Your last three yearly paps must have been normal. You must not be immune-compromised in any way or exposed to DES in utero.
And even if you’re still getting paps only every 3 years , you still need an internal pelvic exam to assess your uterus and ovaries. So my thought- while you’re in there, why not pap it up?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, our credentialing board) still recommends yearly paps, as do I. I see too many abnormals in those who might qualify for the above guidelines to feel comfortable waiting 3 years, but that’s just me.
Great post, Dr. Lissa! We had this same question asked of us (non-MDs) about a month ago; I might see if I can link this as an update if you’re good with that. ¶ They’re now talking about getting Gardasil out for men. How is that action progressing? This sounds like a great idea to me (as do most under-promoted things involving preventive steps on the holy grail-male side of sexuality…), assuming the drug is safe for both males and females. ¶ My doctors made the same recommendation to me on paps, but two not three years apart for them. …But when you say “few lifetime sexual partners” what does THAT mean exactly? ;}} Thanks for all this clarifying information.
Simone, I don’t know what they might be planning for men and Gardasil. As an OB/GYN, I don’t do men!
As for “few” lifetime sexual partners, they initially said no more than three, but have since changed that indication. But if you’ ve had a new partner within a year, you’ll still need a pap.
And remember, if you do go 2-3 years without a pap, you still need a pelvic exam!
Thanks again, Don’t Do Men! No worries, I am totally into knowing and being responsible to my genius body, and that included being very proactive and OCD about scheduling my annual and paps regardless of what my doctors told me (i.e., by those guidelines, I’m not sure how many of our generation qualify; strict religious or similar adherants perhaps).
Thank you for this. When I was diagnosed I was very confused since having the virus brought me no symptoms or discomfort at all. My doctor acted like it was no big deal, scheduled me for a follow up pap in 6 months. When that came back fine, she told me not to worry. But having the virus worried and confused me since I don’t have the warts or any other negative effects. I’ve been concerned about what it means to have HPV in the first place. Any and all information is greatly appreciated. Thank you again!
You’re so welcome!
Very interesting article. Back in 1979, my GP after a pelvic examination, mentioned that it looked like I had HPV. A year later, I suffered an extremely savage case of what another GP assured me was just a ‘very bad case of thrush’. It was actually HSV-II, the gift that keeps on giving.
About 1985, I experience bleeding after intercourse and had to prompt my GP to refer me to an OB/GYN. Colposcopy reveals cervical dysplasia and I go into hospital for cauterization and 5 years of follow-up colposcopies. Twenty years of ‘clear’ Pap smears and I am still grateful I was pro-active in my health care and didn’t accept the nonchalance of that last GP.
Second chakra imbalances all to do with personal values and back then I certainly didn’t value myself high enough. The gift that keeps on giving…..
Would love to read your perspective/perceptions about HSV-II. A short-term lover back in 2000 called me ‘Typhoid Mary’ despite the fact that I informed him of my status. He chose not to wear a condom despite the risk of asymptomatic shedding.
It amazes me the amount of men who are chronologically mature who are absolutely clueless about STDs, plus their belief in the mythology that they cannot get infected from a one-night stand or a short-term sexual liasion.
The Grace of having HSV-II is that it sure sorts the boys out from the men; the sincere from the superficial; the shites from the knights.
Thank you for sharing your story Anita! And I will take you up on the offer and write about herpes simplex virus II (HSV-2) for a future Healthy Thursday post. And I love that you brought up the second chakra imbalance. Amen, sister! It sounds like you’ve found the grace in your experiences and have overcome…Kudos to you, sweetie. xoxo
[...] understand why they’re recommending pushing back the age of first Pap smear. HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer and abnormal Pap smears, is almost ubiquitous among teens. [...]
[...] For more about HPV, visit my website Owning Pink [...]
[...] Find out more about HPV here. [...]