Hpv how many years

They share many traits: Both can present with genital warts, have no…. If you or your partner is diagnosed with HPV, you may have some questions. What is it? How do I talk to my partner about it? How long after exposure will STD symptoms begin to show up? We review incubation periods for common STDs, the importance of early diagnosis and….

Most sexually active men and women will have HPV at some point in their lives. About 40 types of HPV are sexually transmitted. In rare cases, HPV is a…. Most sexually active people will have some strain at some point in their lives. Here's why HPV testing is important and what…. Your thyroid gland is responsible for growth and metabolism in your body. Here are 10 common signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, or low thyroid….

First, symptoms can appear years after the initial infection. Second, the disease can be transmitted without having intercourse. Skin-to-skin contact or oral sex can also transmit the virus. Finally, even people who do not know they are infected and those who do not have any symptoms may still transmit the virus. A woman can be exposed to HPV if she has oral sex with a man who has an HPV infection with or without current symptoms.

If this happens, the infection will occur in the mucosal areas of her mouth, such as in cells in her throat. In very rare cases, the virus will persist and cause a condition known as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis RRP.

People with RRP develop warts in their throat which can become large enough that they cause hoarseness or trouble breathing. Yes, in fact, most people do not know when they are infected with HPV. So, even if your partner does not have any symptoms of an HPV infection, he or she can still pass the virus to you. Although most infections occur following intercourse, HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact.

Even more rarely, a mom can transmit the virus to her baby during birth. HPV is transmitted through intimate interactions between an infected person and an uninfected person. They do not have to have intercourse. Genital-to-genital contact can spread the virus. Yes, a woman can pass the infection to a partner as well as to her baby during birth, although the latter is fairly uncommon. While the infection is most commonly transmitted through intercourse, the virus can also be passed to one's partner during genital-to-genital contact or oral sex.

In rare instances, mothers with genital HPV can pass the virus to their baby during vaginal delivery. A small number of these babies go on to develop recurrent respiratory papillomatosis RRP , a condition in which tumors grow in the throat or lungs, sometimes causing hoarseness, difficulty breathing, talking, and swallowing. While the tumors can be surgically removed, they tend to grow back.

Some people with RRP require regular surgical intervention. RRP can also cause a disease of the lungs that resembles cystic fibrosis. A link between HPV and miscarriage, premature delivery or other complications has not been found. Although the HPV vaccine has not been found to cause harm to a woman or her fetus, it is recommended to wait until after delivery to start or continue with the series.

You should wait until after you deliver to get the remaining doses of vaccine. There is no indication that the vaccine causes harm to you or your unborn baby, but it is recommended to wait just to be safe. After you deliver, you can get the remaining doses. The CDC has a great information page about the different test results and what they mean. Although there is no approved test for men to know their "HPV status," most HPV infections resolve without causing any problems.

The problems caused by HPV in men can include genital warts, anal and penile cancers, or cancers of the oropharynx. There are ways to check for those:. Although no specific treatments for HPV exist, supportive treatments for the health problems caused by HPV are available.

The CDC has an excellent fact sheet related to men and HPV that can provide you with a wealth of additional information. No antiviral drugs are available to treat HPV. Most HPV infections, however, clear on their own in a few years without causing any health problems.

While there are no treatments for the infection, there are supportive treatments for the health problems caused by HPV, such as genital warts and cancers. While the symptoms of HPV can be treated, currently, there is not a way to treat the infection. For example, genital warts can be removed, but they may return. If a woman has changes to the cells of her cervix, she may have a procedure to remove or kill the abnormal cells. However, some cells may still contain HPV.

There is not a way to know for certain, which is why regular follow-ups are important. The vaccine may be protective against strains to which the individual was not previously exposed, so some people can still benefit from vaccination after having HPV. The LEEP procedure does not rid you of an HPV infection, and therefore, it is important to get follow-up testing as suggested by your healthcare provider.

HPV virus does not have a state of dormancy, so if you are still infected, the virus will continue to replicate.

But because the virus can only be detected indirectly using the HPV test or the Pap test to look at cervical cells, it can be difficult to tell whether someone without symptoms is infected. This can depend on factors, such as the type of HPV that caused the infection and individual differences between people.

For example, some people will be HPV-free within six months of the procedure; whereas, others may still be infected up to 18 months later. However, if you are still infected, you can transmit the virus to future partners who are not immune to that type of HPV. The vaccine only protects people against types of HPV to which they were not previously exposed. It does not treat an existing infection or protect against that type of HPV. A Pap test is one in which cells isolated from the cervix are examined under a microscope for precancerous changes caused by a persistent, or long-term, HPV infection.

A test that specifically detects HPV is also available. Although this test does measure the presence of HPV virus in the cervical cells, it does not provide information about whether that infection will remain long term or eventually cause cancer.

Because many younger women get an HPV infection that is cleared by their immune systems, the HPV test can often be positive, causing unnecessary concern; therefore, it is not recommended for most women younger than 30 years of age. Pap tests identify changes to cervical cells that could lead to cervical cancer; however, the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer are rarely associated with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis RRP.

Therefore, you could have had an infection with one of the types that cause RRP and continue to have normal Pap tests. Also, HPV can infect cells without causing the types of precancerous changes that lead to an abnormal Pap smear. The types of HPV that cause genital warts typically differ from those that cause cervical cancer. Since a Pap test is meant to identify cellular changes that could potentially lead to cervical cancer, it does not provide information about HPV infections with types that cause genital warts.

For this reason, your Pap test results do not mean that you did not get infected with HPV when your boyfriend had it. The good news is that for many people, the infection will clear without any symptoms, so you may never experience genital warts like your boyfriend did. If you have an abnormal Pap test, an HPV test may be suggested to determine if human papillomavirus DNA is present in the cells of the cervix. If the results of the HPV test are positive, your doctor will determine how frequently you should be tested.

In addition to HPV and Pap tests, a colposcopy or biopsy may be suggested. A colposcopy visualizes the cells of the cervix and a biopsy takes a sample of cervical cells. Women are recommended to get their first Pap test at age 21, and then once every three years until they turn Women who are 30 to 65 years old should have both Pap and HPV tests performed every five years, or a Pap test alone every three years.

Women who have an irregular Pap test or who are at risk due to other factors, such infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV or previous diagnosis of cervical cancer, may be required to get tested more frequently. Positive results mean that your cervix has the types of HPV commonly linked to cervical cancer; however, a positive result does not mean you have cervical cancer. Based on the results, your doctor will determine how frequently you should be tested and whether other tests should be performed.

Currently, HPV tests are recommended for all women 30 years and older and any woman 21 to 29 years old who has had an irregular Pap test. Sexually transmitted disease STD testing is not the same for every person as it depends upon individual risk factors. For HPV, there is no test for males. The Mayo Clinic has a good discussion regarding how to determine what STD tests you may need and what is available.

The HPV vaccine does not contain all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer; therefore, it is important to continue getting Pap tests. You should still get the HPV vaccine even if you have had an abnormal Pap test because even if you have been infected with HPV, it is not likely that you have been infected with all of the types that the vaccine protects against. So, you can still benefit from protection afforded by the HPV vaccine.

The immune system takes one to two weeks to generate immunity to vaccines or infections. In the case of HPV vaccine, the first dose and the second one if the person is on the three-dose series generates a primary immune response, so people will have some immunity, but protection can vary from one person to another. The last dose given at least six months after the first dose is important because it enhances the memory immune response.

A person will have the greatest protection beginning about one to two weeks after receiving their last dose of the vaccine. The HPV vaccine is recommended for adolescents between 9 and 12 years of age, and all teenagers and adults between 13 and 26 years of age who did not get the vaccine when they were younger. Individuals between 27 and 45 years of age can also discuss vaccination with their healthcare provider and receive the vaccine if they decide it can protect them from HPV infection.

Learn more about why adolescents are recommended to get this vaccine by watching this short video. Learn more about the recommendations related to those older than 26 years of age by watching this short video. People who have received one dose of the HPV vaccine may have some protection, but the additional dose or doses depending upon age offer additional protection. Further, if you or your partner were already infected with a type of HPV, the vaccine will not prevent transmission of that HPV type.

You should talk with your healthcare provider to see if they know whether you were vaccinated and if so, what type of HPV vaccine you received and how many doses were given. However, if that is not an option and you are uncertain, you can still get the vaccine. Extra doses are not likely to have negative effects. No, people who have been vaccinated against HPV do not need to be revaccinated after giving birth. Typically, people with HPV have not been infected with all of the types contained in the vaccine, so the vaccine could protect them from types to which they have not been exposed previously.

However, the vaccine will not help treat or protect against types of HPV to which the person has already been exposed. For those 15 years of age and younger, the HPV vaccine is now given in two doses. So, depending on your age, you may not need a third dose:. However, because the vaccine protects against additional types of the virus, individuals may still reasonably get the vaccine.

In this case, the person should speak with their healthcare provider regarding the relative benefits associated with this choice. You would just get the last dose with the current vaccine option. Cervarix and Gardasil-4 are no longer available in the United States. If you are younger than 15 years old and your first two doses were separated by at least six months, you do not need any additional doses. You can start by checking with your primary healthcare provider. If you cannot get the vaccine from their office, you can also check with your gynecologist, the local health department or a local pharmacy.

The manufacturer, Merck, also has an adult vaccine locator on their website that might be of help. A few studies have looked at this and none have found that receiving the HPV vaccine causes girls to become promiscuous or engage in sexual activity at an earlier age. The study found no differences between the two groups in regard to the incidence of pregnancies, tests for or diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases STDs , and contraceptive counseling.

The HPV vaccine was introduced in , and according to an article published in the July issue of Pediatrics , use of the HPV vaccine resulted not only in lower rates of infection among those who were vaccinated, but also, to some degree, in those who have not been vaccinated.

This phenomenon is commonly known as herd immunity. You should still consider getting the vaccine because while herd immunity might lessen your chance of coming into contact with the virus, the vaccine will significantly decrease your chance of infection if you do come into contact with it. Unfortunately, despite the decreases in transmission resulting from HPV vaccination, millions of people are still infected with HPV and many do not know they are infected.

The reason to get the HPV vaccine even if you are already sexually active is that you are not likely to have been exposed to all of the HPV types contained in the vaccine.

Although HPV is a known cause of cervical cancer, the virus can also cause other cancers of the reproductive tract, anal cancer, penile cancer, genital warts, and on occasion, cancers of the head and neck. In fact, about 4 of every 10 cases of HPV-related cancers occur in boys or men. Because vaccinating boys will also decrease the spread of the virus, they will not only protect themselves, but also their sexual partners.

The HPV vaccine can be given at the same time as other vaccines recommended at this age, including the vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis Tdap and the one for meningococcus. If it is influenza vaccine season, this vaccine can be given as well. Yes, you can still get the HPV vaccine even if you have had sexual intercourse. While you may have been exposed to one or more types of HPV, it is unlikely that you would have been exposed to all of the types that the vaccine protects against, so it may still be of benefit for you.

In October , the vaccine was licensed for people up to 45 years of age, so inquire with your provider. Because the HPV vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV, it is possible that a fully vaccinated person could be infected with a type of HPV that is not contained in the vaccine.

Most people will clear any type of HPV infection— but it may take months to do so. In a few people, however, HPV infection will persist and possibly become cancerous. We have no way of knowing who will be affected over the long term. That said, the vaccine protects against the most common types that cause cancer or genital warts. Vaccine safety is studied by many, many groups not just those who manufacture vaccines.

The FDA reviews all data associated with studies completed by vaccine manufacturers as well as visiting manufacturing sites and continuing to monitor the vaccine as long as it is being made. Additionally, the CDC has systems in place to monitor vaccine safety, including:. Their findings are available online. During cervical screening, a small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and tested for HPV.

Screening is offered to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to It helps protect them against cervical cancer. Some sexual health clinics may offer anal screening to men with a higher risk of developing anal cancer, such as men who have sex with men. Find out more about cervical screening and how it helps protect against cervical cancer. There's no treatment for HPV. Most HPV infections do not cause any problems and are cleared by your body within 2 years. Treatment is needed if HPV causes problems like genital warts or changes to cells in the cervix.

Read more about treating genital warts and treating abnormal cell changes in the cervix. Page last reviewed: 19 March Next review due: 19 March