1. How is HPV transmitted?
Genital HPV infection is spread through sexual contact—primarily vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse. It is possible, though less likely, for the virus to be transmitted by sexual contact without intercourse. Rarely, a pregnant woman will pass HPV to her baby during vaginal delivery, resulting in laryngeal papillomatosis (warts on the voice box).
2. What are the symptoms of HPV infection?
Certain types of HPV cause genital warts and other lesions, but the virus usually causes no symptoms. Most people with a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. That is why regular exams and Pap smears are so important.
3. How is HPV infection treated?
Genital warts can be removed in a number of ways:
With chemicals,
By freezing,
By electrically being burned off, or
Via surgery or lasers.
For most people, this treatment will clear the warts. If your warts return repeatedly, the doctor may try injecting them with the drug interferon. Although treatment clears the symptoms, the virus remains in your body.
Abnormal Pap smears can be treated in a variety of ways, from monitoring over a period of months to see if they return to normal, to cryosurgery that freezes and destroys infected cells, to procedures that excise problem tissue.
4. What will happen if I don’t get treated?
Untreated genital warts can disappear, stay the same, or grow in size and number and cluster in large masses. Some types of the virus can lead to cervical or penile cancer.
5. How can HPV be prevented?
In June 2006, the FDA approved a vaccine for the prevention of HPV. The vaccine protects against two types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers and most vaginal and vulvar cancers. It also protects against the two strains of HPV that cause 90% of genital warts. Studies involved girls and young women ages 9-26 and boys ages 9-15. The vaccine is considered safe and effective. It is given in three doses over a period of six months and is most effective if given before becoming sexually active. For additional information on prevention, visit the National HPV & Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center.
6. How common is HPV infection?
It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world, with probably more cases of genital HPV infection than of any other STD in the United States. About 50% to 75% of sexually active men and women contract genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. About 5.5 million Americans get a new HPV infection each year, making HPV the most commonly acquired STD. For more information, visit the CDC's Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
7. Are men screened for HPV infection?
Men are not routinely screened for HPV infection unless they fall into a high-risk category. The current commercially available tests – the Pap smear and DNA HPV tests – are not approved for testing samples from males. However, some specialty labs have validated DNA tests for analyzing anal swabs from males.
This article was last reviewed on August 30, 2006.
This page was last modified on April 8, 2009.
The review date indicates when the article was last reviewed from beginning to end to ensure that it reflects the most current science. A review may not require any modifications to the article, so the two dates may not always agree.
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