STIs and Symptoms

HPV

Human Papillomavirus

Bacterial Vaginosis

Chlamydia

Congenital Syphilis

Gonorrhea

Hepatitis B

Herpes

HIV/AIDS

HPV

Mgen

Syphilis

Trichomoniasis

About

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus that can cause cancers later in life. HPV is the most common STI in the U.S. – nearly all sexually active men and women get HPV at some point in their lives. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year (source). HPV can also infect the mouth and throat.

All sexually active men and women can get HPV. Most people who become infected don’t know they have it. HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. HPV can be passed from person to person even when there are no symptoms.

Prevention

Abstinence

Vaccination

To completely avoid STIs, abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

If you are sexually active, the best way to prevent HPV is with vaccination. There are three available HPV vaccines. They work best when boys and girls receive all three doses at age 11 or 12. Young women can get vaccinated until age 26, and young men until age 21.

Swab

Testing

Changes to cervical cells are found with two cervical screening tests:

A Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) looks for changes in the cells of the cervix. Women over 21 should have a Pap smear every three years.
An HPV test looks for the specific types of HPV likely to cause cervical cancer. Women over 30 years old may be given an HPV test at the same time as the Pap test. If both tests are negative, testing is needed only every five years. The HPV test is not available for men.

Symptoms

Genital warts are one sign of HPV, but some HPV infections – the ones that can cause cancer – show no signs. Without treatment, cervical cell changes related to HPV could lead to cervical cancer.

Most HPV infections are harmless, and most infected people never develop symptoms or health problems. Often, the body fights off HPV before it can cause genital warts and cancer.

Genital warts look like one or many small bumps in the genital area. They may be small or large, raised or flat, or cauliflower-shaped, and they may burn or itch.
Cervical cancer does not show symptoms until the disease is advanced and hard to treat. Regular screening (Pap test) can spot problems early before they lead to cancer.

Treatment

There is no treatment for the virus itself, but there are treatments for the problems that HPV can cause:

Genital warts can be treated by you or your physician. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, stay the same, or grow in size or number.
Cervical pre-cancer can be treated. Women who get routine Pap tests and follow-up as needed can find and stop problems before cancer develops. Prevention is always better than treatment.
Other HPV-related cancers are easier to treat when found early.