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Ishtarr -> RE: HPV (10/23/2011 2:01:34 PM)
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As a standard disclaimer: I'm not a medical expert, ask you doctor, blah blah.
I have HPV, I found out because I was diagnosed with early stage 1 cervical cancer.
I'll probably be at risk for the rest of my life, so I've done quite a bit of research on this subject.
It used to be assumed that HPV is never cleared, and that if you contract it, you have it for life. Currently, most sources seem to think that it's possible to clear the virus, and that if you do, it's probably going to happen within two years of infection.
The likelihood of clearing it if you have it longer than that become smaller every year (from what I understand).
There are over a 100 different strains of HPV, it's possible to be contaminated with more than one at any given time, and while having and clearing a certain strain will give you lifelong immunity to that specific strain, you can still get infected with it's other forms.
I have no information on if certain strains may be easier to clear than others.
Dysplatia is the symptom caused by HPV that can in turn cause cervical cancer. It's an alteration of the cell that is in a pre-cancer stage. It can be accompanied with a visible enlargement of the cells, but is often only visible under microscope.
It's different than a wart, in that warts aren't necessarily pre-cancerous, though they can be, and the likelihood of cells becoming dusplatic is larger if there have been warts in the area.
Women can still get cancer, or dysplatic cells even if there have never been visible warts.
If you have the virus, and especially if you've already had dysplatic cells, you will need to keep a close eye on your health for the rest of your life, unless your doctor can positively confirm that you've totally cleared the virus.
You should be tested EVER year, whether you've had unprotected sex or not, and should notify your health care provider of your previous infection and dysplatic cells every time you are tested.
Especially when considering a pregnancy you need to be careful, because illness or pregnancy and other conditions that affect and weaken the immune system can trigger outbreaks.
If you have outward symptoms while giving birth, you have a large likelihood of infecting the baby with the virus too, so you need to notify your gynecologist and may need symptom treatment prior to giving birth.
Talk to your doctor about this.
As a side note, there is a relatively new vaccine that is said to protect against the forms of HPV that are most likely to cause dysplatia and cervical cancer. Women who want to get this vaccine should do so before they become sexually active. This vaccine does not protect against all strains of HPV.
If there are any people with more medical expertise than me on this site, who notice any mistakes I may have made in the previous information PLEASE CORRECT THEM.
Ishtar
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