Protective Sex

[newyorker718]

Hello people. My concern is how effective is a condom against hpv when using it during sexual intercourse? Thanks for anyones feed back and time.

[DasKapital]

I think both ideas are perfectly plausible... I just wish that the medical community would be a little more clear on that 70% statistic :-).  I think the argument you're making... that 30% of HPV infections are from those who used a condom sounds pretty legitimate.  Someone should ask Dr. HHH.  Although I'm not sure who wants to pay 20 dollars just to get an answer we're curious about, haha.

[SkaterDave]

I too have mixed feelings on this 70% stat.  How is it that condoms are supposed to be like 99% effective against HIV but only 70% against HPV?  My guess is what DasKapital is getting at.  Perhaps 30% of all HPV contractors who used a condom got it because they were exposed below the condom.  It makes perfect sense.  Condoms are a barrier to sexually transmitted diseases, almost period.  For those who do get HPV and have used a condom, my guess would be that the area of infection is around the base of the penis, or, perhaps they contracted the virus during foreplay while they rubbed their erection around without thinking.  Just my thoughts though, but plausible.

[DasKapital]

It is very difficult to say, but for sure, it is better than having sex without a condom.  That said, even with a condom, you are able to contract HPV.  This is because a condom typically only covers about 3/4 of the penis.  Maybe it's more, but regardless, there is exposed skin during sexual intercourse.  If any part of the skin infected with HPV rubs up against and/or massages against the skin of the partner, then HPV can be spread.  That is why many men get warts at the base of their penis.  The condom simply did not go down that far.

All that said, I think the commonly cited statistic is that condoms are 70% effective against the spread of HPV.  To be perfectly honest, I don't even really know what that means.

Given all this, try not to worry too much about HPV.  Everyone gets it, and nearly everyone's body clears it.  It's just a normal part of someone's sexual life, regardless of whether they use condoms or not.