Last year I found out I was infected with HPV type 59. This is one of the high-risk types that can potentially cause cervical cancer. Good news is mine isn't one of the common cancer causing types, which are types 16 and 18. I have had no symptoms and my pap smear was all good, the only reason I got tested was because my doc suggested an STD test might be a good idea since I haven't done one in a while.
About seven years ago my pap smear showed I had CIN 1 (mild cervical cell dysplasia) which went away on its own after a few months and all following smears were OK. Looking back, CIN was most likely caused by HPV, but my doctor at the time didn't have me do additional tests and I wasn't aware I had it until last year. It was irresponsible of her as I deserved to know, as well as my partner. On the other hand, if you have the virus but show no symptoms (no CIN) there's nothing you can do anyway except strengthen your immune system and have smears done regularly to monitor it. So some doctors aren't even going to bother with additional tests if you show no symptoms.
Some stats suggest about 80% of sexually active men and women have come in contact with HPV. Even if you're vaccinated, you're only protected from several types of HPV, while there are more than 150 known types. Condoms help somewhat but it can also be transmitted through oral sex, hand stimulation and any genital contact. It's an especially elusive infection since there are often no symptoms at all, like in my case your pap smear may be OK but you can still have it.
There are also no reliable tests for men, so even if a guy gets regularly tested to STD and is all clear, he may still carry the virus and not even know it. If it's a high risk type which has no visible symptoms, he may never know. The good thing for guys is that being infected with HPV doesn't mean nearly the same health risks as it does for women.
My SO reacted very well when I told him. We've always used condoms so he may or may not have got it from me, but he showed no concern about himself. He was very supportive and non-judgmental. I was quite shaken up, the idea of being in high risk of cancer is pretty damn scary. Also, it's really hard to face the fact you indeed have an STD and are putting your partner at risk too. (I was raised Catholic, we seize any chance to feel guilty.)
The common perception is that STD infections inevitably come from promiscuous lifestyle, dumb decisions, irresponsible attitude to contraception etc. While in reality (and this is especially true for HPV) your lifestyle and the decisions you make about sex do not mean at all that you're safe, unless you stay off sex completely. This is especially important for people to understand, because they might get lulled into false sense of security and never bother to get tested. Like it took me 7 years to have it checked.
I haven't seen any threads on HPV here at the forums, but I hope all you girls get tested regularly. If you are or have ever been sexually active, have your pap smears done regularly, like once a year. Where I live a pap smear doesn't automatically come with an HPV test so make sure your doctor does that too every once in a while. Even if your pap smear is OK, even if you've only ever had one partner, even if you use condoms, even if your boyfriend tested negative. If you already tested negative once with a current partner, still repeat the test every once in a while. The virus can lay dormant for years and may go undetected while it's in low count, then flare up if your immune system drops.
Living with HPV isn't tragic for either you or your partner, but it does put you at high risk, so you'll want to know as early as possible if you have it or not.
- Join our Long Distance Relationship Community! Click here to register
Benefits of being a registered member:
✔ Give and receive support from others who are loving from a distance.
✔ Post anonymously with a click of a button in our anonymous sections.
✔ All members each get a personal blog - share your LDR journey or use it as a private journal (posts can be made private).
✔ Participate in community activities and events.
✔ Registering unlocks photos posted in threads. - Forgot your password or username? Use this link: Reset your forgotten password and recover forgotten username by clicking here.
And the mindset that STDs come from being promiscuous is so annyoing and wrong and offensive I can't even.
I know this is a total sap story, but it's true: My mum used to work at an old people's home and there was this one old lady who was HIV positive. Her husband was a sailor and he infected her. She didn't even know she was positive. And it's so unfair. Theoretically her husband could have been the only man she has ever slept with.
I try to go to the gyno for a pap about once a year. So far they've never called me, so nothing has come up *knocksonwood*
Dziubka's sad story reminded me of another issue when you test positive for an STD - because both partners get it, there's often this suspicion of who got it from whom and whether you were cheated on. HPV is particularly sneaky as it can be months and years before any symptoms show. Also, because it's hard to detect on men, they might be convinced they were all clear when in fact they were carrying the virus. So you might've got it from your boyfriend but it looks the other way round because you're the only one who actually shows any symptoms. I'm glad this was never a problem for us, but I can imagine it's a common trust issue for a lot of couples.
I've looked at ways you can help your body suppress the virus. Folic acid and beta-glucan are great for boosting immunity specifically when it comes to HPV, which is more or less all you can do. And St John's wort and tea tree oil are anti-inflammatory and helpful at healing the symptoms.