Sexually Transmitted Diseases And Women
What is the "human papillomavirus" or "HPV"?
There is really no way a person can tell if they have or they carry HPV. The chances are very good that seven out of ten people have this virus. The chances are if you are sexually active you have multiple partners and you had unprotected sex that you carry this virus. However, there is no way to know whether it's a low risk virus or a high risk virus without checking all or any of these symptoms. So if somebody has warts, genital warts or condyloma, we call it also, that doesn't mean they don't have the high risk virus also. They can have both the high risk and the low risk virus. And, so they need to be checked in order to find out what type of virus and what the risk status is.
How common is human papillomavirus?
Very common; some studies show that up to 7% of sexually active people, men and women, carry the virus. Now most people don't know they are carrying it, because most people have not been tested for it. It's impossible, almost, to test a man for this virus, so the male carriers are unknown unless they have a wart, which indicates a low risk virus. However, we can't really identify someone with a high-risk virus as a male partner.
What are "genital warts"?
Genital warts are caused by the low-risk HPV virus and they are also called condyloma. Genital warts are cauliflower lesions that grow in either the anal canal or in the skin over the vulva or the vaginal area or even the cervix depending on where the genital wart virus particle has inserted itself into.
How is the human papillomavirus related to "cervical cancer"?
By a pap smear and a specific test for HPV identification, HPV analysis. Now, most laboratories do that if a physician requests that pap smear be done with an HPV test. It doesn't require any other specimen except for the pap smear that we get during the pelvic exam, and the results usually are back by 10 days.
How do I know if I have the human papillomavirus virus?
It is hard to tell if you have or carry Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) unless you get checked for it. There is a seventy percent chance that you could carry the human papilloma virus (HPV), especially if you have had unprotected sex with multiple partners. There is no way to know if it is a low-risk or high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) without being tested. Symptoms like genital warts can be indicators of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, but it is possible to have high-risk and low-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The only way to be sure of the type of human papilloma virus (HPV) and its risk is to get tested for the human papilloma virus (HPV).
How will my doctor diagnose the human papillomavirus?
Your doctor will test for human papilloma virus by a Pap smear, and a specific test for human papilloma virus (HPV) identification: human papilloma virus (HPV) analysis. Now, most laboratories do that, if a physician requests that Pap smear be done with an HPV (human papilloma virus) test; it doesn't require any other specimen except for the Pap smear that we get during the pelvic exam, and the results usually are back within ten days.
How will my doctor treat genital warts?
There are many different ways of your doctor to treat genital warts. There are treatments we can use and chemicals that we can use while the patient is in the office to basically burn the tissue. There are medications the patient can use at home to burn the tissue. There are lasers that we can use, we can use electrocaudery. Basically, we're trying to get rid of the tissue that contains the virus. Of course, we're never successful in 100 percent of getting rid of the virus, as the virus may be dormant in another part of the body that looks completely normal to us today, and maybe in six months it will grow out, or in three months perhaps.
How can I prevent giving genital warts to my partner?
There isn't really a very good way to prevent giving genital warts to your partner. The only way that you can truly do this is by firstly treating your own warts, and secondly, preventing your body's immune system from weakening because if it becomes weak, the virus then replicates more. Thirdly, have the male partner wear a condom every single time. Even this is still not 100% protective. For example, if a man or a woman has a wart on a pubic area that is not covered by the latex condom, then interaction can cause the transfer of the genital warts virus and viral articles. Also, if the male ejaculates on a part of the woman that is exposed, that can also cause the transfer of this viral part.
Can I prevent the human papillomavirus from turning into cervical cancer?
The only thing that a person to do in order to keep the virus sleeping inside the cells is to keep their immune system strong. The only way that we know of and the only cures for HPV, human papillomavirus, that we've seen is when a person has a very good immune system, therefore it prevents these virus particles from becoming active. And also, on occasion, getting rid of these HPV particles altogether; they no longer can be detected.
How can I keep my immune system strong?
Keep your immune system strong with no stress, good diet, good rest, appropriate exercise, plenty of fluid. As long as you keep your body healthy and stress free your immune system there will take care of itself. Also, avoiding a lot of the colds and other illnesses that will take away some of the power of your immune system.
What is the human papillomavirus vaccine or "gardasil"?
Gardasil or the HPV vaccine that's out there in the market now, there are others that are being produced as we speak and soon will be introduced into the market, but they all work the same way where they get a portion of this viral particle, it's a dead particle, it's not a whole virus so if you get this vaccine, you will not contract the infection. So it's a dead portion of this particle. They inject it into your body and what it does is that your body's immune response will make antibodies to attack these foreign particles so when the real infection comes along your body recognizes those particles, those parts of the virus that's been immune to now, it's been immunized to to attack the virus and prevent infection. It's been found to prevent 70% of the virus particles that cause cervical cancer and 100% of those that cause genital warts.
Are trial HPV treatments available?
Yes, there are other companies that are also working on human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines. But we have to see how effective and what the treatment profile of these human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines will be.
