HPV worries

[ac723]

I am a 26 yo male, and had protected vaginal and oral intercourse with a sex worker 2 days ago.  I used soap and showered right after the encounter.  I do not know their health status, and I am losing sleep over HPV worries.  My questions are:

1) What is my risk of getting HPV?  

2) How serious is HPV to men?  I read it can cause penile cancer.  Is there any testing?  (or, should I worry that there is not any testing?)

3) Should I get Gardasil?  I read that 26 yo is the final year for it to be effective.    

Thank you.

[thePatient]

hi

if i may add to the question at hand.. as i understand with your reply, 1 incident w/ an infected person via skin to skin contact is all it takes?

And I would like to reconfirm that HPV vaccination can still help even if you already have the targeted strains of HPV on your system? because i read somewhere that it helps prevent but can't help if it's already in your system. Would love to get a confirmation on that.

Thank you very much.

[Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia, MD, MRCGP, PhD]

Hello,
Thank you for your post.  Here are the answers to your questions:
1.) HPV is very common and very easy to transmit, even with portected intercourse.  It is transmitted through skin to skin contact, and frequently genital warts appear in areas not covered by the condom.  If she was carrying HPV, the risk of transmission is very high, and infection is highly likely.
2.) Genital warts are harmless and can be treated succesfully.  Some HPV strains can cause cancer, but this is more relevant in the case of cervical or anal cancer.  Penile cancer is very rare and it would be visible.  HPV testing in male genitals is not very reliable, but it can be done using a PCR swab.  I would not recommend it though.
3.) Gardasil would always be a good idea.  We immunise men and women of all ages.  It can protect people from new infections in the future, but also it can boost your immune system to help erradicate any HPV type that you might have already contracted.
Best wishes,
Dr José