Women testing positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) have higher anxiety shortly after receiving their result. By 6 months, anxiety scores are similar to women with normal screening results. Primary HPV testing is unlikely to have a sustained impact on anxiety or distress.
Regarding mental health, the majority experienced anxiety after the HPV diagnosis as well as fear regarding their health in the future. Nearly half of the women experienced guilt and anger and some of them distress, shame, diminution of self-esteem and stigmatization.
Genital infection by HPV may give rise to feelings of guilt and hypochondriac fears, as well as problems associated to sexual behaviour. In some cases, even after having received treatment, a high rate of sexual deterioration, fear of cancer and a worsening of the emotional relationship with the partner exists [16].
Results: Psychosexual vulnerability increases with number of recurrences of HPV infections. Depression, anxiety, and anger are the emotions most frequently reported.
Psychological stress is an important factor involved in disease manifestations of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and it can participate in HPV-associated carcinogenesis. The impact or effect which stress can have (exert) depends on a person's genetic pool, experiences and behaviors.
HPV usually doesn't make you feel sick or cause any symptoms. Your immune system can fight off the infection before you ever know you have it, but you could still spread it to others before that happens. If you do get symptoms, the most common signs of HPV are genital warts.
Precancerous lesions at other sites in the body may cause symptoms like itching or bleeding. And if an HPV infection develops into cancer, the cancer may cause symptoms like bleeding, pain, or swollen glands.
Does HPV cause health problems? In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.
– there's no evidence that HPV has triggers like herpes or asthma that cause flare ups, but many believe that a weakened immune system can lead to outbreaks being more likely. Genital warts are more likely to flare-up if your immune system is not able to effectively fight the HPV infection causing them to appear.
High risk HPV can cause various levels of cell changes, from mild to moderate to severe. Borderline cell changes are the least serious and would not normally be treated as the body can clear the HPV infection by itself.
Don't panic
HPV is so prevalent that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US. In fact, 80 percent of US adults will get HPV at least once in their lifetime.
A recent study has shown that stress and depression in adolescent females are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV)-related health problems—in particular, whether the viral infection persists long enough to increase the risk of cervical cancer.
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)
It is slightly more prevalent in men than in women. But unfortunately it is associated with shame and anxiety for some women (as well as men). Some studies show that concerns about sexual transmission contribute significantly to these feelings, but learning how common the virus is can help.
Options include freezing (cryosurgery), laser, surgical removal, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold knife conization.
Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.
Unlike other STIs, there is no treatment for HPV, so it is not necessary to disclose HPV to current or previous sexual partners.
A compromised immune response is the prerequisite for disease progression. One unique feature of HPV infection is that it can affect the immune system in such as way that it presents a much more tolerant state, which facilitates persistent hrHPV infection and cervical lesion progression.
Although most HPV infections clear up on their own and most pre-cancerous lesions resolve spontaneously, there is a risk for all women that HPV infection may become chronic and pre-cancerous lesions progress to invasive cervical cancer.
HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after getting an HPV infection. Cervical cancer usually develops over 10 or more years. There can be a long interval between being infected with HPV, the development of abnormal cells on the cervix and the development of cervical cancer.
In fact, the majority of people who get HPV will have no symptoms. In some cases, the virus may lie dormant for years before resulting in any obvious health issues. Those living with it long term must cope with a higher risk for certain cancers and other potential health effects, such as genital warts.
A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.
Often, HPV warts will appear three to six months after sexual relations with an infected person; or they may take months to appear; or they may never appear. Likewise, the interval between an infection with HPV and a cervical smear abnormality can vary from months to decades.
Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment. Because of this, it isn't uncommon to contract and clear the virus completely without ever knowing that you had it. HPV doesn't always cause symptoms, so the only way to be sure of your status is through regular testing. HPV screening for men isn't available.