Hump Day,
My girlfriend just came back from the doctor. She says she has HPV and that I probably gave it to her (I was her first). I don’t have any symptoms. How do I check if I have HPV? Her doctor also told her to call other people I’ve slept with to get checked out as well. How the heck do I go about doing THAT?
Just a Crappy Situation
Dear JACS,
The hard facts first: you probably have HPV, and there is no test to verify that particular HPV strain on men. HPV is a funny virus. Think of it as the common cold of STI’s (Sexually Transmitted Infections, also known as STDs). Around half of sexually active people will get HPV at some point in their lives (stat from CDC). There are over 40 strains of HPV that can infect the genitals, the anus and the mouth. Different strains have different effects. Some can lead to cervical abnormalities and cancer. Others can lead to genital warts. Others to vulva, anal, penile or throat cancers.
The interesting thing is the majority of people will not experience any symptoms or complications from HPV! Over 90 percent of people who get HPV will have their immune systems take care of the virus within two years. That’s the good news about this extremely common infection. The bad news is that though you don’t have any symptoms, you can infect someone else, who then may in turn experience some health problems.
The reason your girlfriend was diagnosed with HPV is because she received a Pap smear, which is typically done annually on women. The Pap smear checks for abnormal, pre-cancerous changes in the cells of the cervix. Almost all abnormalities in the cells are caused by a strain of HPV. You can’t get the test because you don’t have a cervix, but you can carry the strain and give it to other people.
HPV is passed from one person to the other by skin-to-skin contact. Not just any skin, it has to be infected and must rub up against an area that it likes to infect, such as the anus, the penis, the vulva and even the mouth. Besides the cervical Pap smear, there are only a couple of other ways to test for some HPV strains. For example, there is an anal Pap test that you can get if you have had unprotected anal sex. You can also test for some cancers visually — however, doctors are able to sight a cancer growth typically when the cancer is a bit more advanced.
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Genital warts are also caused by HPV, though the strains that cause warts do not cause cancer. The only way to know if you have HPV that causes warts is if you have a wart. Genital warts don’t cause any pain or large issues, unless they are in places that continually rub against something. But don’t worry, genital warts can be removed the same way as any other warts: by freezing, burning, cutting them off or by using medication. Warts can also go away on their own.
Because you are the only sexual partner your girlfriend has ever had, you gave her HPV. Now don’t start ripping your hair out yet. You had no symptoms; there is no test for men for that particular strain. However, that is not to let you off the hook. Simply because a person doesn’t have symptoms doesn’t mean he or she should go without condoms. Condoms and sex dams are very effective in preventing HPV unless it is present on an area of the body that is not covered by the condom or sex dam.
Remember: it’s not the end of the world. Even though your girlfriend has abnormalities, they can still resolve on their own. With additional testing and careful monitoring over the years, even if the cells turn cancerous, they can be treated early and hopefully cured.
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To address your worry about notifying your past partners: contact them. It’s common courtesy. You tell someone when you have a cold; please tell someone when you have HPV. They have the right to know they might have come into contact with this infection. With that knowledge, they will be more likely to use condoms and sex dams to protect themselves. In fact, there is an awesome online website to make the job even easier. Inspot.org is a website that allows you to send an e-card to your partners that they may have been exposed to an STI. Better yet, call them, if you are still friendly, that is. Don’t play the blame game. Just be honest. “I’m a little uncomfortable to tell you this, but since we were naked once, I think I should be honestly naked with you: I’ve been exposed to an STI, you may have been too.”
For those people who have not yet been exposed, there is another preventative method. The Gardasil vaccine, OKed for both men and women, can protect you from two of the most common HPV strains that lead to cervical abnormalities and two of the most common HPV strains that lead to genital warts. There is also a Cervarix vaccine, but it has only been approved for women. Get the vaccine so that you can protect yourself and your partners!
Take initiative, JACS. And continue to have fun in bed, because having an STI is just like having any other health issue — it may cause some complications, but you can still have an awesome and play-filled life!
This article was written by Nicolette Pawlowski and Suzie Baker. Suzie is a sexual health education coordinator and wanna be homemaker and Nicolette is a graduate student in EPS and a sexual health educator. All questions are from real readers. Keep ’em coming! E-mail: [email protected].
