The symptoms of HPV or human papillomavirus can go unnoticed in most people. It is estimated that 75% of those infected do not develop any symptoms and that, in 90% of cases, the virus disappears without treatment within two years. So it is likely that at some point in your life you will have HPV and not even know it.
But this does not mean it is harmless. According to the American Cancer Society, HPV includes a large number of viruses, more than 200. The most dreaded are the ones that cause various types of cancer such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar and cancers of the penis, mouth and throat.
What are the most noticeable symptoms of HPV?
Some strains produce genital warts, which are flattened or cauliflower-shaped lesions that sprout in areas such as the vulva, anus, cervix and vagina. In men, the bumps occur on the penis, scrotum and around the anus. These types of HPV that cause warts, do not cause cancer.
The rest of the HPV types can go without symptoms until they have already caused a major pathology. In the case of cervical cancer, the symptoms are bleeding after sexual intercourse, after menopause, between menstrual periods, menstruation much heavier and longer than normal and pain during sex, among other indicators.
It is estimated that it takes at least 10 years for cancer to start as a result of HPV infection, so you can prevent it.
How to prevent HPV
The use of condoms for sexual intercourse and latex barriers during oral sex are essential to reduce the transmission of the virus. However, there are areas that cannot be covered by condoms that could still infect you.
A recommended option is to get the HPV vaccine, which has an efficacy of 98.2% in protecting against cervical cancer, 99% in protecting against genital warts, has been used in nearly 120 countries and nearly 23 million doses have been administered.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, it can be administered to anyone between the ages of 9 and 26. In countries such as Mexico, it is administered free of charge to girls in the fifth grade of primary school and 11-year-old girls not attending school; to cisgender and transgender women and men between 11 and 49 years of age living with HIV; to girls, women and adolescents between 9 and 19 years of age who are in the protocol of care for rape; and to adolescents between 12 and 16 years of age who have not been vaccinated.
People over the age of 26 can also get vaccinated. "Some adults between the ages of 27 and 45 may decide to get the HPV vaccine after discussing it with their doctor, if they were not adequately vaccinated when they were younger. HPV vaccination of people in this age range provides less benefit, for several reasons, including that more people in this age range have already been exposed to HPV."
How to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV
Cervical cancer is the most common HPV cancer, with 90%. and mostly because the person cannot see if abnormal changes are occurring in their cervix. Hence the importance of going to the gynecologist and getting screened for cervical cancer, which includes a Pap smear and HPV test to see if we can detect abnormal cell changes and treat it before it becomes cancer.
It is important for everyone with a uterus to have an annual Pap smear, or cytology, which is a test performed by a gynecologist that identifies abnormalities in the cells of the cervix.
To do this, samples are taken from the cervix and sent for analysis. This test should be started at the age of 21 and until the age of 65, which can be stopped if no abnormal results have been obtained.
Always keep in mind that you do not need to have symptoms of HPV to have the virus and that you can also infect others, so you should use condoms and take all preventive measures.
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