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HPV
Ask Hayley,
I'm not sure where to begin or what to say, so I will just give you the facts.
I am a 17 year-old female. I have been dating the same guy and my only
sexual partner for a year now. I recently found out the I have contracted
HPV. I don't want to point fingers but I know he was the one who brought
it into this relationship. I am to say the least scared and I'm not sure
how this is going to change my sex life with him. I thought maybe you
could explain exactly what happens now. What medication I should be on or
how my sex life should change...anything you would find useful. I have
also been very distant from my guy. I don't want him touching me or
kissing on me, it's like I kind of resent him for giving me this. Is this normal
and how can I make it go away? I love him and don't want this to come
between us. Please help...and advice would be wonderful!!! Thank-you!
Hi Angel,
HPV is a virus that
is INCREDIBLY common. It is a very complicated virus because there are so many
strains of it. Some types of HPV just go away on their own and never return,
other types cause cervical cancer. Only a health practioner/lab can determine
which type you have so it is VERY important that you get medical follow-up.
Caught early, cervical cancer is often preventable. I am assuming you know you
have HPV because a health care provider told you? An accurate diagnosis is
important.
There is no
medication per se, to treat HPV. If you have precancerous cells in your cervix
or visible warts (which are produced by certain strains of HPV) a doctor or
nurse will want to treat them. It is very important that you follow-up with a
medical provider. I can not tell you more about what to expect because I do not
know the details of your situation (i.e. type of HPV, symptoms, etc). When you
go to the doctor/nurse bring a list of questions and make sure you get all the
answers. You are asking important questions.
It is most likely
that you contracted HPV from your current partner, but not impossible that you
got it from a previous partner. HPV symptoms may appear within several weeks
after sex with a person who has HPV or they may take months or years to appear.
This makes it hard to know exactly when you got the virus or from whom you got
it. It is also very likely that your partner did not know that he was infected.
It is understandable
that you feel shocked and upset, but keep this in perspective. In the great
majority of cases, HPV is not life threatening and in many cases it simply
disappears. It might help to try to figure out what is bothering you the most
about the idea that you contracted this from your partner. Is it the idea that
he had previous partners? Or that he gave you an infection? Or the idea that you
have an infection? Again, having HPV does not mean you or he was promiscuous or
"dirty" in any way.
It is important that
you BOTH see a doctor/nurse to ask questions and get answers. Talking about this
and working it through this together may make your relationship even stronger.
The American Social Health Association has a great website in which they answer
common questions about HPV (www.ashastd.org),
they also have a hotline (877-HPV-5868).
On a last
note, I probably do not need to tell you that it is important to consider using
condoms with any partner when you have sex. Most people do not know it when they
have an sexually transmitted infection, so they can not warn you ahead of time.
HPV is not the end of the world, but you probably wish you had avoided
contracting it. Also, HPV is only one of many sexually transmitted infections,
so using condoms from now on is NOT unimportant. If you are going to be sexually
active condoms are the best way to avoid infection. Hope this helps-
This
tip was originally written by Hayley Ph.D (c)
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