Frequently asked questions on HPV
This page is a selection of different questions that Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has received about cervical screening. The answers have been reviewed by Jo’s medical advisers.
What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?
HPV is an extremely common virus. There are over one hundred identified strains of HPV. Some types of HPV can cause changes in the cells of the cervix creating abnormalities. Once these abnormalities become severe they may develop into cancer.
Do all HPVs cause cervical cancer?
No. Some HPVs cause non-cancerous skin warts that commonly appear on the hands and feet.
Around 40 HPVs affect the genital area and these are divided into those which have no risk for cervical cancer (called low risk) and those which can cause cancer (cervical, anal, vulval and some head and neck cancers) and called high risk types.
Low risk types, such as HPV 6 and 11, cause non-cancerous genital warts. High risk types – the types most like to cause cervical cancer – include HPV 16 and 18.
Who can get HPV?
Anybody who has ever been sexually active is at risk of contracting HPV. Genital HPV is transmitted primarily by genital-to-genital skin contact, anal intercourse and occasionally oral sex. The time from exposure to the virus to the development of warts or cervical disease is highly variable and the virus can remain dormant in some people for long periods of time. Often it is not possible to determine exactly when or from whom the infection originated. HPV is classed as a STI (sexually transmitted infection). It is more common in younger, sexually active people, with the peak prevalence in women usually occurring between the ages of 16 and 25. The risk of infection increases with the number of sexual partners and women who have had multiple sexual partners or whose partners have had multiple partners. However, having HPV is not an indication of promiscuity or infidelity. You can contract HPV on your first sexual encounter. The infection rate in men has not been evaluated to the same extent as in women but is likely to follow the same pattern as for women.
How can I reduce the risk of becoming infected with HPV?
HPV infections are very common and the majority of infected individuals will have no obvious signs or symptoms. Therefore, it is very difficult to tell whether an individual is infected and the only way to entirely avoid the possibility of being exposed to HPV is abstinence. This is unlikely to be a popular option for most people, although people should be reminded that it is primarily a sexually transmitted infection and the risk will therefore be reduced if you and your partner have had few sexual partners and have avoided casual sex.
You can reduce your risk by the practising the following:
- Safe sex - Practising safe sex through the use of condoms can help reduce the risk of being infected with HPV but it will not completely eradicate the risk as HPV lives on the skin in and around the whole genital area [1]. Genital HPV in men affects the skin of the penis, scrotum, anus, and rectum [2]. In women, it affects the vulva (area outside the vagina), the linings of the vagina, cervix, and rectum.
- Leading a healthy lifestyle - Keep your immune system – your body’s natural defence against disease and infection – strong. A weakened immune system could mean that your risk of cervical cancer is higher than average.
- Not smoking - Smoking stops your body’s immune system from working properly, leaving you more likely to get infections and can increase your chance of developing cervical cancer.
Am I more likely to get persistent HPV if I smoke?
Smoking can increase your risk of developing persistent HPV infection and also has an impact on the cervical cells. By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can reduce the risk of persistent infection and cell changes. Eating healthily, exercising, not taking up or stopping smoking can all help to prevent cervical abnormalities through keeping your immune system healthy.
If HPV is so common, and it affects nearly all of us, why don't more women get cervical cancer?
The majority of women clear the infection through their immune systems but for those who do not, regular cervical screening can pick up abnormalities in cervical cells before a cancer develops. These abnormal cells can then be removed and in the majority of cases this is highly successful. In a very few women, changes occur more rapidly, in the interval between cervical screening, or occasionally the changes are not detected by screening.
If I’ve got genital warts, am I likely to develop cervical cancer?
No. Cancer and genital warts are caused by different types of HPV, so having genital warts does not mean that you are more likely to get cancer. There are about 100 types of HPV, the majority of which do not cause any health problems. Research has identified specific HPV types that are 'high risk' and 'low risk' for cervical cancer. The most common types that cause cervical cancer are 'high risk' HPV types 16 and 18 while the 'low risk' types that cause genital warts are HPV types 6 and 11.
If I have been diagnosed with HPV can my partner re-infect me?
Unfortunately, we don’t have a definite answer to this question. In theory, if you and your partner have been infected with HPV, you should be immune to that type and so re-infection should not occur. However, studies have shown that natural immunity to HPV is poor, and women can be reinfected with the same virus type [3]. So in some cases the answer will be yes, in others no.
References
- Winter RL et al. (2003) Genital human papillomavirus infection:incidence and risk factors in a cohort of female university students. American Journal of Epidemiology,157 (3), 218-226.
- Giulano AR et al. (2008) Epidemiology of human papillomavirus infection in men, cancers other than cervical and benign conditions. Vaccine 26 (10), K17-28.
- Schwarz TF and Leo O (2008) Immune response to human papillomavirus after prophylactic vaccination with AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine: improving upon nature. Gynecol Oncol, 110 (3,1), S1-10.
Last updated: 17/03/2011
