How do you deal with HPV?

There is no treatment for the virus itself. However, there are treatments for the health problems that HPV can cause: Genital warts can be treated by your healthcare provider or with prescription medication. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, stay the same, or grow in size or number.

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How can I help my body fight HPV?

There are four simple ways to boost your immune system if you have HPV:
  1. Quit smoking3.
  2. Reduce stress4.
  3. Eat a healthy diet3.
  4. Find support4.

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What happens if you have HPV?

Most HPV infections go away on their own and don't cause any health problems. However, if HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts. It also can cause certain kinds of cancer. We do not know why HPV causes health problems in some people and not others.

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Is HPV a serious STD?

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.

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Should I worry if my HPV test is positive?

A positive HPV test means you do have an HPV type that may be linked to cervical cancer. This does not mean you have cervical cancer now. But it could be a warning. The specific HPV type may be identified to determine the next step.

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Is there any way to treat HPV infection?

37 related questions found

Why is my body not clearing HPV?

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.

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How did I get HPV if I am married?

Anyone who has had sex can get HPV, even if it was only with only one person, but infections are more likely in people who have had many sex partners. Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed.

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How can I naturally fight HPV?

Folate (vitamin B9)

According to a 2021 study , folate and vitamin B12 were found to play a critical role in lowering the risk of contracting a strain of HPV (HPV 16) and an associated form of cervical precancer (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, otherwise known as CIN).

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Does HPV weaken your immune system?

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.

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Can you stop HPV from spreading?

Consistent condom use can protect women from HPV infection. Avoid direct contact. The surest way to prevent genital HPV infection is to refrain from any genital contact with another person.

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Do you have to disclose HPV status?

Unlike other STIs, there is no treatment for HPV, so it is not necessary to disclose HPV to current or previous sexual partners.

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How long is HPV contagious?

It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.

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Can I give HPV to my family?

It is possible to spread the virus through intimate contact that does not include intercourse, such as genital-to-genital contact or oral-to-genital contact. So, it is possible that someone who has not had intercourse could be infected with HPV and spread it to others.

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How can HPV affect a man?

Yes, men can develop cancer from certain strains of the virus. Men may develop HPV -associated cancer of the mouth and throat, penis, or anus. HPV infections are common among sexually active people, and infections often cause no symptoms. The immune system usually clears HPV infections.

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How do I know if my HPV has cleared?

Your doctor will probably recommend a follow-up test in a year to see if the infection has cleared or to check for signs of cervical cancer. Negative HPV test. A negative test result means that you don't have any of the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer.

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What are the symptoms of HPV in females?

HPV can infect cells in the vagina and around the vulva. If a female has low risk HPV, they may see warts on the vulva. These warts may present as: a cluster that looks like a cauliflower.
...
Some symptoms of vaginal cancer include :
  • bleeding after sex.
  • unusual discharge.
  • a lump in the vagina.
  • pain while having sex.

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Where did HPV come from?

It appears to show that the disease was transmitted from the Neanderthals or the Denisovans, another extinct human ancestor, to humans. The strain is extremely rare among Sub-Saharan Africans. This means that humans who left Africa more than 100,000 years ago may have contracted the disease elsewhere in the world.

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Is HPV for life?

For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.

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Can you get HPV from saliva?

Sexual contact, including oral sex and deep kissing, can be a method of HPV transmissionfrom one person to another. The likelihood of contracting oral HPV is directly associated with number of sexual partners a person has had. There are a few ways to prevent HPV-related oral cancer, depending on your age.

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How long does it take for HPV to show up on Pap?

Q: How long after exposure does it usually take for something to be detectable? A: Changes consistent with HPV can usually be detected within 3-6 months after exposure to the infection.

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Does HPV show up in a blood test?

Human papillomavirus (HPV) blood tests and Pap smear tests are methods for detecting cervical cancer. Doctors may recommend a person has both tests to check for cervical cancer.

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Can HPV come back once it's cleared?

Several studies involving younger women indicate that type-specific HPV can be detected again after a long period of apparent clearance, but it has not been established whether type-specific HPV redetection is due to reactivation of a low-level persistent infection or the result of a new infection [6–9].

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Does a Pap smear test for HPV?

The Pap test (also called a Pap smear or cervical cytology) collects cervical cells so they can be checked for changes caused by HPV that may—if left untreated—turn into cervical cancer. It can find precancerous cells and cervical cancer cells.

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What does HPV mean for my relationship?

Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship. There is no treatment to eliminate HPV itself. HPV is usually dealt with by your body's immune system. HPV does not stop you having a normal sex life. There are tests for HPV.

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What should I do if my girlfriend has HPV?

If you've recently learned that your partner has HPV, you may feel worried. Rest assured that with vaccination and safer sex practices, you can continue to have a healthy sex life while avoiding stress and anxiety. Remember, there are more than 200 strains of HPV, and most are not high-risk.

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