If you have genital warts, the psychological and emotional impact of having genital warts is the worst part of HPV.
Most human papilloma virus (HPV) infections go on their way within six months to two years without causing any complications or long-term side effects.
Genital warts are soft, moist, flesh colored and appear on your genital area within weeks or months after infection.
Some types of HPV cause genital warts which appear on the genital areas of men and women including cervix, vagina, vulva, rectum and penis.
Some infections can be linked to other problems like recurring warts, other sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer.
Recurring warts: Warts can recur in some people within months or years after the infection even after the treatment and no exposure to the HPV. The reason behind this is virus stays in the skin without showing any signs and appears suddenly. Recurring warts can be related to stress or weak immune system which enables the virus to become active.
Link between HPV infection and cervical cancer:
All types of HPV can cause mild abnormalities of pap test which do not have serious consequences. Ten out of thirty identified genital HPV types can lead to development of cervical cancer. According to the research, cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years in most of the women.
Although, few women have persistent infection, continual infection with high risk type of HPV is the main risk factor of cervical cancer. Pap smear test can detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells on the cervix.
Regular pap test and medical treatment is necessary to help the pre-cancerous changes in the cervix caused by HPV do not develop into life threatening cervical cancer. Pap test used for cervical cancer screening is responsible for reducing cervical cancer deaths.
Vaccine against genital warts and cervical cancer:
As HPV can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, a vaccine is an important step to prevent infection and protect against spreading of HPV. The HPV vaccine, known as Gardasil, is safe and given as three injections over a six month period.
The vaccine will not protect the girls who are already infected with HPV before vaccination. So, vaccine should be taken before having sex for the first time. The vaccine also does not protect against all types HPV.
The only way to prevent HPV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases is not to have sex with multiple partners and using a condom while having sex. Condoms cannot prevent the infection completely because the warts can be outside the area covered by condom and condoms can break. HPV vaccine is not a replacement for condoms to protect against sexual diseases.
