Know all about HPV Infection: How does it spread and how can you protect yourself? If you are a woman today who takes her health seriously and emphasizes the right lifestyle changes for her family, you have come to the right place. Women play a pivotal role in keeping families healthy, as caregivers, we take a keen interest in kids’ immunization and periodic health check-ups of the elderly. We access the health system more than men, for ourselves and our families.

Women’s health is unique, men and women react to the same health issues differently due to their physical geneses and ability to cope with the health condition. Certain health issues like menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, provide women with higher interaction with health systems as compared to men. Hence, women become the primary caregivers of the family. For the children also, women are the focal point when it comes to their health and nutrition.

As a woman and a parent, my priority is the overall health of my family. Be it the annual immunization of my daughter, daily nutrition and supplements, healthy lifestyle, and regular health check-ups. Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle also helps me in learning about new health trends and lifestyle changes. Post covid-19 setback and immunization, health has become everyone’s priority, and I am no different.

Just recently I learned about HPV infections from my doctor, and why it is important to know all about this disease. But first, let us learn – what is HPV infection? What are the symptoms of HPV in women and how does it affect you?

What is HPV Infection?

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection (STI), which can lead to numerous health issues. There are over 100 varieties of HPV, more than 40  of which are passed through sexual contact and can affect your genitals, mouth, or throat.

In most cases, HPV goes away on its own within two years without any serious health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and other HPV-related cancers. In women, certain HPV types cause a proportion of cancers of the anus, vulva, and vagina, which are preventable.

Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. A healthcare provider can usually diagnose warts by looking at the genital area.

HPV also causes cervical smear abnormalities in women; however, these are not visible to the naked eye and can be diagnosed only by a medical practitioner. Evidence suggests that most individuals who have ever been sexually active experience one or more genital HPV infections during their lifetime.

Testing can help find HPV and abnormal cell changes before they cause problems, so you can get treatment to stay healthy. In most cases, cervical cancer is preventable.

How Does HPV Spread?

HPV is primarily spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. Unlike some other STIs, HPV does not require penetrative sex to be transmitted. Here are the main ways HPV can spread:

1. Sexual Contact: The most common mode of HPV transmission is through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person. Even if the infected individual has no visible symptoms, they can still transmit the virus.

2. Skin-to-Skin Contact: HPV can be transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact, particularly in the genital area. This means that even without intercourse, intimate contact can lead to infection.

3. Oral Contact: Engaging in oral sex with someone who has HPV can result in infection of the mouth and throat, potentially leading to oropharyngeal cancers.

4. Sharing Personal Items: While rare, HPV can sometimes be transmitted through shared items such as razors or towels if they come into contact with infected skin.

5. Mother-to-Child Transmission: In some cases, an infected mother can pass HPV to her baby during childbirth, leading to a rare but serious condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP).

Noticeable Symptoms of HPV Cancers in Women –

There are many types of HPV, as mentioned above this is a very common infection that usually shows no symptoms. However, some high-risk types of HPV could cause cancer. Prevention is, therefore, very important. Some noticeable symptoms are:

1. Genital Warts
2. Vaginal bleeding after intercourse
3. Unusual vaginal discharge
4. Pain during intercourse

Unfortunately, most HPV cases don’t show any regular symptoms and hence it goes unnoticed. In some cases, it causes genital warts, but not everyone with HPV gets a genital wart. Hence, regular screening is recommended for women to diagnose if it’s an HPV infection. Usually, HPV infection clears on its own, but if it doesn’t go away and stays in the body for long there are low-risk and high-risk disadvantages to this infection.

India accounts for 20% of the global burden of Cervical cancer. Every 5 min one person dies due to HPV cancers & diseases. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer of women in India.

What Health Problems can HPV cause?

Firstly, not all HPV can cause health risks, and mostly this infection usually goes away on its own and does not cause any health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems including:

• Cervical cancer
• Other genital cancers (such as cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus)
• Oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils)
• Genital warts
• Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (a rare condition that causes warts to grow in the respiratory tract)

Who Is at Risk of HPV Infection?

HPV is extremely common, and most sexually active individuals will contract it at some point in their lives. However, certain factors increase the risk of persistent HPV infection, including:

• Having multiple sexual partners

• Engaging in unprotected sex

• Having a weakened immune system

• Smoking, which may contribute to the persistence of HPV

• Younger individuals tend to be more susceptible to the virus

Treatment for health-related issues caused by HPV

As mentioned above, HPV goes untreated and untraced in the body, if it doesn’t make any further cell changes or stays in the body for long to create any kind of serious health damage.

There is no treatment for the HPV infection as such, however, the CDC recommends preventive measures like –

1. Get Vaccinated
2. Practice Safe Sex
3. Regular Screening

Also, there are treatments for the health problems that HPV can cause:

1. Genital warts can be treated by your healthcare provider. If left untreated, genital warts may go away on their own, or some high-risk HPV can develop into cancer.
2. Cervical precancers can be treated. Women who get routine Pap tests and follow up as needed can identify abnormal cell changes before cancer develops. 
3. Other HPV-related cancers are also more treatable when diagnosed and treated early. ⁱⁱⁱ

Talk to your health expert/doctor about HPV and discuss the risks, treatment, and vaccination as one of the preventive measures. The right information and knowledge on remedies against any illness or calamity helps in better prevention

Final Words –

Almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV so it is important to understand HPV and take the right prevention against it. Women’s health is complicated by constant physical changes in the body, it is critical to take note of any minute change and discuss the same with your health expert.

With the ambiguity over the symptoms of HPV, as a parent, I consider vaccination the most reliable treatment against HPV. In the above article, we have seen that HPV doesn’t make it easy for anyone to diagnose itself, if not done through PAP Smear or genital warts. Vaccination against such a silent infection is the best bet, in my opinion.

Important Disclaimer

This blog provides general health information for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Copyright

©Dipika Singh. This article is the property of the site’s author. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dipika Singh (Gleefulblogger). With the right and specific direction to the original content.

• [i] Women’s health: human papillomavirus: https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/human-papillomavirus Last accessed on Jan 4, 2022
• [ii] When HPV does not go away it causes health problems: https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm#:~:text=In%20most%20cases%20(9%20out,bumps%20in%20the%20genital%20area. Last accessed on July 10, 2022
• [iii] Symptoms of HPV in women: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/hpv-symptoms-in-women#cervical-symptoms Last accessed on July 10, 2022
• [iv] Basic information about cervical cancer: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/basic_info/index.htm Last accessed on July 10, 2022
• [v] What causes RRP?: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/recurrent-respiratory-papillomatosis  Last accessed on July 10, 2022
• [vi] Vaccine for HPV: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6832a3.htm, Last accessed on July 10, 2022