Like many young women, you’ve likely gotten the Gardasil shot to protect yourself from the human papillomavirus (HPV). But do you really know what exactly HPV is? I sat down with Kim Cullers, Director of the Health Center, to learn more about the virus.
Between 28 and 46 percent of women under the age of 25 are infected with some type of HPV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “most sexually active people will get HPV at some time in their lives.” Of the 40 strains of HPV, only three or four are considered “high-risk.” The vaccine—whether it’s Gardasil or Cervarix—only protects against those that might cause genital warts or cervical cancer. The good news is that “in almost 90 percent of the cases, women can clear it on their own with their own bodies’ immune systems,” Cullers said.
HPV is passed through skin-to-skin genital contact.
One of the more frustrating aspects about HPV is that it can be spread even when you’re practicing safe sex. That’s why it’s important to take preventative and precautionary measures–make sure you’ve gotten the vaccine and continue to get regular pap smears.
Pap smears detect HPV.
Cullers explained that a pap smear, a screening test that detects pre-cancerous or cancerous cells, helps protect against some of the most detrimental consequences of HPV: “Pap smears actually look at the cells, they test for the specific virus of HPV and…they isolate which ones are the most dangerous,” Cullers said. “The pap is all about detecting abnormal cells.” All women over the age of 21 are encouraged to get regular pap smears.
Gardasil is expensive!
“One downside to vaccination is that it is extremely expensive,” Cullers said. “I think it’s cost prohibitive for a lot of women, and that’s what I think really needs to change.” Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, private plans are responsible for covering the $300-$400 cost of the vaccine. And despite the fact that there’s assistance available for low-income women—including many collegiettes—it can still be difficult to access Gardasil or Cervarix.
There IS treatment for symptoms of HPV.
If you think you might be infected with HPV (or any other STD), get tested! Genital warts sometimes go away on their own, but if that’s not the case, they’re relatively easy to treat with medicine. Abnormal cells are treated at a doctor’s discretion, as is cervical cancer, which needs to be diagnosed–the earlier, the better.
Guys can contract and pass on HPV, too.
In recent years, men have been encouraged to get vaccinated to protect against HPV.
“The Gardasil shot in men is not really aimed towards prevention of the spread of HPV, it’s more of a preventative for genital warts,” Cullers said. Just like in women, many of the men who contract HPV won’t even know they have it, but the infection is linked to genital warts as well as certain types of cancer. Because there aren’t tests for men, HPV is not as easy to detect–the only way a man can know he has it is if a woman tells him that she has been infected.
More information can be found on the CDC website.