- Get the HPV vaccine.
It's super important at preventing cancer.
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Hi, I'm Dr. Natasha Bhuyan.
I'm a family physician at One Medical.
Today, we're answering the internet's questions about HPV.
What is HPV?
HPV stands for the human papillomavirus.
The human papillomavirus is actually a family
of 100s of viruses that can be transmitted sexually,
but there are also some viruses that can be transmitted
through skin-to-skin contact.
It usually manifests as warts,
but it can also manifest as higher risk HPV strains
that can turn into cancer.
What causes HPV?
HPV is the human papillomavirus and there
is actually 100s of viruses that exist.
Some of those viruses
are sexually transmitted and some aren't.
If you think of a common wart that people might
get on their finger or on their knee,
that's usually from skin-to-skin contact
that's also caused by HPV.
But it's not sexually transmitted.
There are genital warts caused by HPV that
are sexually transmitted and then there's other strains
of HPV that don't cause warts that are sexually transmitted.
The problem is those strains of HPV that
don't cause warts, they unfortunately can cause cancer.
Can HPV kill you?
Yes, unfortunately HPV is one of the STIs that
can turn into cancer.
It can become cervical cancer, anal cancer,
penile cancer, even oral cancer.
If that cancer is left untreated, HPV could actually,
in the long run, kill you.
But luckily, there's a lot of tests that we
can do to make sure we catch the cancer early
and get treatments for you and, even more importantly,
there is a vaccine that prevents HPV.
There's a vaccine that prevents cancer.
The HPV vaccine can be given from ages nine to 26.
I encourage all of my patients to get it,
the younger the better.
The best ages to get the HPV vaccine is ages 11 or 12,
for both boys and girls.
What does it mean to be HPV positive?
HPV is a very common STI that a lot of people have.
If you're HPV positive, it means that you've got
the HPV virus, but about half of sexually active Americans
have the HPV virus or they've had it
at one point in their lives.
The good news is the HPV virus, often times,
can just be cleared on its own,
so it's good to monitor to make sure that eventually,
it's getting cleared.
Could I have HPV and not know it?
Yes, there are several different strains and forms of HPV.
Some strains of HPV cause things like genital warts,
but other strains don't cause any symptoms at all.
So you might have HPV and you might have no idea.
It is good to get tested through things like
getting a pap smear, because that's the only way
you can really know if you've got HPV.
Could I get HPV from my husband?
Yes, you could get HPV from your husband,
even if you're in a monogamous relationship.
If your husband had a prior relationship
where he contracted HPV, it's possible for the HPV virus
to kind of lie dormant and then become active
and become passed to you.
It's not very common, but we've seen it happen.
You could get HPV from your husband.
It doesn't necessarily mean that he's cheating.
Could you get HPV from kissing?
It's very, very low risk to get it from kissing,
but it is possible to transmit that virus through kissing.
We more commonly see HPV transmitted
from skin-to-skin contact, so oral,
with anal or oral with vaginal contact,
anal contact and vaginal contact.
It can be transmitted in lots of different ways.
Can HPV develop on its own?
No, you can only get HPV if you contract
the virus from someone else.
It doesn't happen on its own.
Can HPV affect your immune system?
No, the HPV virus is different than the HIV virus.
The HIV virus is known for affecting your immune system,
although there are great treatments out there for it.
The HPV virus doesn't affect your immune system.
The only way, in the long run,
that it could affect your immune system is
if you end up getting cancer from having HPV
and having cancer can affect your immune system.
What if HPV is left untreated?
HPV, if left untreated,
can evolve into different types of cancers.
That's why it's important to either, number one,
get vaccinated against HPV and also, two,
use condoms if you're sexually active to reduce
your transmission risk of HPV.
Can HPV spread?
Yes, HPV's pretty contagious and it can be spread
through either skin-to-skin contact or sexual contact.
Because HPV is contagious and because so many Americans
who are sexually active have it,
we do encourage condom use if you're sexually active
or a dental dam or other barrier method.
Does HPV affect men?
Yes, HPV does affect men.
That's why it's also important for boys
to get the HPV vaccine.
HPV affects men who have sex with men
and men who have sex with women.
For men who have sex with men,
there is an option to get anal pap smears,
where doctors will test the cells of the anus
and they can test and see if those cells have changed
or if you are at risk for getting cancer.
If you are a man who has sex with men,
it might be great to talk to your primary care provider
and see if anal pap smears are a good option for you.
What does HPV look like?
If you get an HPV strain that appears as warts,
those warts can be really small lesions
that have a cauliflower like appearance,
but there are treatment options for warts.
If you notice warts, either on the genitals,
or other parts of your body,
it's great to see your primary care provider
and we can take care of that for you.
What does high-risk HPV mean?
When people get pap smears,
we are able to look at their cervical cells
and when we analyze their cervical cells,
we can see if they've got HPV DNA and we
can see the type of strain that they have.
There are some strains of HPV that
are called high-risk HPV strains.
Those are more notorious for changing our cells
and turning our cells into cancerous cells.
It's good to get regular pap smears,
either cervical of sometimes anal,
depending on your risk factors,
to make sure that your cells, if they are abnormal,
they eventually normalize.
Can HPV go away?
Yes, as a matter of fact, for most people who get HPV,
it ends up just going away on its own.
But, it's still good to have careful monitoring
because there are some rare cases where
it can turn into cancer.
Can HPV infect the throat?
Yes, we've certainly seen a rise in oral cancers
and it's really interesting because we're seeing
a big decrease in smoking, and so,
not as many people are getting oral cancers for smoking,
and yet, we're seeing a rise in oral cancers from HPV.
And that's coming from oral to genital contact
where HPV is spreading.
We do tell people, if you've got,
if you do have oral intercourse,
it's still important to use a dental dam
or other barrier method.
What if HPV doesn't clear in two years?
If you get HPV and you're doing careful monitoring
and you're getting routine paps and it's not clearing
in two years, don't panic; that's okay.
Your primary care provider can still continue
to follow up with you and make sure
that it eventually does clear.
For some people, it just takes a little bit longer
to clear than others, but it eventually,
hopefully, will clear.
If it doesn't clear, there is a risk that it
could turn into cancer, but with careful monitoring,
we can catch that early.
HPV is extremely common and it's nothing
to be scared about.
If you're worried about HPV, we really advise
that you see a primary care provider.
If you're sexually active, remember to always
use a condom to reduce your risk of HPV
and get the HPV vaccine.
It's super important at preventing cancer.
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