HPV (Human papillomavirus)

[Maya]

I've wondered though if you can contract it by receiving oral sex? I can't seem to locate a clear answer. If it can effect your throat, I don't see why the mouth can't effect the genitals, but I don't know. Risk may be less.

I found this article about HPV:

http://blogs.menshealth.com/health-headlines/should-you-stop-having-oral-sex/2011/03/01

The article is from 2011 but I thought I'd share this information:

Why You Shouldn’t Worry

Now for a sigh of relief: “Most people who give or receive oral sex will not get HPV. And most people who get HPV will not go on to develop cancer,” says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., research scientist at Indiana University and author of Because It Feels Good. Less than 1 percent of all people are infected with the type of HPV most likely to cause throat cancers, says Kreimer. Chances are, most of these cases will go away on their own without causing symptoms or progressing to cancer.

Even with the increase, HPV-related head and neck cancer is still rare, affecting about four in every 100,000 people. And studies show it’s much less lethal than other types of cancer.

 

[Redfishanny]

I'm feeling rather guilty. I went to the doctor more than a year ago and they told me I had hpv...not the warts kind but another that can cause cervical cancer but not a worse one like 16 or 18 and she told me I didn't have to tell anyone, that everyone has had it at some point but our immune system kicks it out after awhile. I didn't even know what hpv was until she did a Pap smear, though I had heard of genital warts. She told me it wasn't any of the dangerous strands so everything was all good.

So I went about my life thinking no big deal and had sex with someone but the condom broke. Before that I hadn't had sex in 2 years and the last was my long distance partner before that I hate to say I drunkenly made out with a few people (I'm not going to justify it, I felt guilty and ha told my long distance now ex).
Anyway, I'm having moral apprehensions about this last person as I listened to my doctor and thought nothing of it. I started looking up more stuff recently after the condom broke and now I feel really morally divided.

I want to tell him but part of me is truthfully scared of the backlash...an also I went on a board and a similar situation happened to someone else...and she said the guy because they cannot be tested (didn't know that either) had a complete meltdown because he will never know if the immune system kicks it out and he's left in a mental limbo so he started on anti-anxiety meds.

I'm really divided. I ended up getting that pap because I ha a really bad yeast infection and I'm over 30...and I was recommended it.

I hadn't worried about it because of what my doc told me, now....
I'm wondering what will do the most good. Following my doctors advice or not....

Also, I miss my ex terribly and I think me telling him that tipped him over the edge thinking I cheated on him...
And now even though it's extremely long distance, I believe he's been telling my longtime coworkers...

I don't know how much more I can handle. That, my relationship down the tubes, this situation, and now finding out my father has cancer...I feel like the world is literally coming to an end. Frick...thoughts?

I know this is all scattered. I apologize for that.

 

[SixBuckets]

Sorry? Hahaha, you have nothing to apologize for! It's just one man's thoughts. I get checked up every couple of months (I'm a health freak in many respects, but am just a straight up freak when it comes to the bedroom) to make sure I stay on top of things nonetheless. Just giving my two cents; it's no more or no less valuable than anyone else's! =P

The standard STI screen does not test for HPV and there is currently no HPV test for people with penises. It's generally tested for if a vagina-owner has a positive pap test, but it's a common enough infection that there's no point doing population level screening. Most people who contract HPV - even cancer causing strains - clear it naturally and never go on to develop cancer.

As of a few years ago, HPV has overtaken smoking as the most common cause of head and neck cancers in young people, but these are quite rare cancers. HPV is implicated in over 90% of cervical cancers, but if you stick to your regular screening schedule people are highly likely to detect cervical cancer before it really threatens them.

If anyone's concerned about HPV, get vaccinated. The vaccination covers the most virulent cancer causing and wart causing strains of HPV.