Aa
HPV scare
Dear Dr,
First of all I will like to thank you for all the great work you do. You really help make the world a better place to live in.
I feel somewhat embarrassed to ask you such a unimportant question when you have so much more important things to do my apologies I guess my question arises from what presume is irrational fear but I just cannot help it at times.
My question is regarding HPV. You see there was time in my life where I when to see quite a few escorts whom I engaged in sexual intercourse with (No anal and always protected) however there were 2 occasions where I was given unprotected oral sex.
It has been a year and half since I saw the last one I have never really suffered from any std like symptoms my health has actually been rather good however since I have read about HPV I have developed this thing I call irrational fear of ‘what if’ I have caught HPV from these encounters. I recently read that HPV can be transmitted from unprotected oral sex and can develop into throat cancer which has really got me worried sick.
Please Dr will you give me some advice on this matter am I my just tying myself up in knots for no reason and should I just put this behind me and move on.
Kind regards
Alik
First of all I will like to thank you for all the great work you do. You really help make the world a better place to live in.
I feel somewhat embarrassed to ask you such a unimportant question when you have so much more important things to do my apologies I guess my question arises from what presume is irrational fear but I just cannot help it at times.
My question is regarding HPV. You see there was time in my life where I when to see quite a few escorts whom I engaged in sexual intercourse with (No anal and always protected) however there were 2 occasions where I was given unprotected oral sex.
It has been a year and half since I saw the last one I have never really suffered from any std like symptoms my health has actually been rather good however since I have read about HPV I have developed this thing I call irrational fear of ‘what if’ I have caught HPV from these encounters. I recently read that HPV can be transmitted from unprotected oral sex and can develop into throat cancer which has really got me worried sick.
Please Dr will you give me some advice on this matter am I my just tying myself up in knots for no reason and should I just put this behind me and move on.
Kind regards
Alik
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum and thanks for your question. I'm going to attempt to reassure you about HPV, but perhaps not in the way you hoped. You can assume you have been infected with HPV and that it is likely to happen again. But it should not be a cause for alarm.
Here is a thread that explains some basic information about sexually transmitted HPV infections; it has links to other threads as well:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
Almost all sexuallly active people acquire genital area HPV infections; it is essentially unavoidable except by total celibacy and/or permanent lifelong mutual monogamy in a couple who have never had other sex partners. (Even there, HPV sometimes shows up.) Although condoms reduce the risk, even consistent condom users can expect to be infected through skin contact above the area covered by the condom. Oral sex carries little or no risk, however.
There are no tests available to know whether or not you were infected. However, if you were, by now your HPV infection(s) probably have cleared up entirely, since the immune system eliminates active infection naturally over a couple of years. You can expect never to have an important health problem from HPV. If and when you are in a committed, long term sexual relationship, your partner should have regular pap smears -- but that applies to every woman, regardless of her suspected risk or exposure to HPV.
If you remain concerned, you and/or your future partner(s) can be immunized against future infections with the 4 most important HPV strains. It won't do anything about infection(s) you may already have had, but the vaccine is highly effective in preventing future HPV infections.
Please read the other threads suggested. But in the meantime, try not to worry about something that is a normal part of human sexuality, unavoidable, and usually harmless.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Here is a thread that explains some basic information about sexually transmitted HPV infections; it has links to other threads as well:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
Almost all sexuallly active people acquire genital area HPV infections; it is essentially unavoidable except by total celibacy and/or permanent lifelong mutual monogamy in a couple who have never had other sex partners. (Even there, HPV sometimes shows up.) Although condoms reduce the risk, even consistent condom users can expect to be infected through skin contact above the area covered by the condom. Oral sex carries little or no risk, however.
There are no tests available to know whether or not you were infected. However, if you were, by now your HPV infection(s) probably have cleared up entirely, since the immune system eliminates active infection naturally over a couple of years. You can expect never to have an important health problem from HPV. If and when you are in a committed, long term sexual relationship, your partner should have regular pap smears -- but that applies to every woman, regardless of her suspected risk or exposure to HPV.
If you remain concerned, you and/or your future partner(s) can be immunized against future infections with the 4 most important HPV strains. It won't do anything about infection(s) you may already have had, but the vaccine is highly effective in preventing future HPV infections.
Please read the other threads suggested. But in the meantime, try not to worry about something that is a normal part of human sexuality, unavoidable, and usually harmless.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You're welcome. Thanks for your thanks, and for your kind comments about the forum at the start of your question.
Thank you so much Dr Hansfield for your reassurance on something that I didn't know was so common with human sexuality. I shall put this behind me and move on. Thanks again and keep up your amazing work Dr.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I meant to also say there is absolutely no cause for you to be worried about oral HPV or having throat cancer as a result. This is explained in one of the threads to which there is a link in the one provided above.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
