Everything you need to know to prevent HPV and effectively treat it.
Among the most common sexually transmitted diseases, HPV (Human Papillomavirus) affects 60% of women and men today, with the largest percentage among them being are young 20-30 years old. Although it is a resistant and contagious disease, it can be treated with the appropriate treatment for each case.
It is much more common than herpes and the predominant factor in the appearance of atypical cells detected by the Pap test in women. It has been found that one in two women will develop HPV lesions at some point in their lives. It is transmitted by micro-incisions that can be caused by unprotected sexual intercourse with a carrier of the virus, while quite often – as it almost always has no discomfort, such as pain, itching, etc. – it goes unnoticed. An exception is the case of acute warts with which the virus can appear in the external genitalia. Visible to the naked eye, they resemble tiny bunches of grapes and sometimes they are many next to each other, sometimes individually, while over time they can increase both in size and number. If they are located in the internal genitals – in the vagina or cervix – they are not visible and any lesions can be checked exclusively through the Pap test and colposcopy.
What you need to know
HPV is not just a virus, but a group of viruses that cause nipples in the body (hyperkeratosis), warts on the toes, calluses on the feet, venereal warts, and malformations of the genitals and especially the cervix. Of the 120 types of viruses that exist, 35 are found in the genitals and of these, 15 are high risk and 20 are low risk.
Types 6,11,41,42,43,44 cause benign lesions, the so-called “acute warts”, which appear at the entrance to the vagina, the small and large lips of the vulva, the perineum and the anus.
The types 16,18,31,33,35,39,45,51,52,53,55,56,67,58,59 and 68 are of high oncogenicity and are found in cervical cancers (in a percentage greater than 95 %), vagina, vulva and perineum.
It is advisable for every woman to have a Pap test every year and in case the test shows suspicious cells, then to proceed with a colposcopy to accurately determine and locate warts, the presence or absence of malformations and precancerous conditions and to identify the type of HPV virus from which it is infected. The gynecologist who monitors you will determine the follow-up plan based on the findings, how often you will have a Pap smear and colposcopy, or the required treatment if needed.
HPV and pregnancy
What happens when a woman with HPV becomes pregnant? It is indeed possible to coexist during pregnancy and in some women, the dysplasia may worsen during pregnancy, which is mainly due to the intense hormonal changes and the reduced response of your immune system. It is therefore appropriate at the first visit to the gynecologist who monitors the pregnancy, to perform a Pap test if the woman has not recently had a cytological examination. If there is cervical dysplasia during pregnancy, then the cervix is examined colposcopically and at the discretion of the doctor, biopsies can be taken without any risk to the pregnancy. It is important to mention that any woman with HPV or mild lesions of the cervix can give birth normally, without a cesarean section.
If you have had HPV
If you have been exposed to the virus, stay with it forever, but this does not mean that you are at risk, as long as you follow the monitoring plan set by your doctor and take care to keep your immune system in good condition and therefore in suppress the virus. Aim to remain inactive, something you will check at regular intervals with exams. A healthy lifestyle will contribute significantly to the desired result and, it is worth emphasizing, smoking cessation, in case you are a smoker, is imperative. Research has shown that smoking cessation significantly reduces the risk of HPV. Proper nutrition with plenty of fruits and salads in your daily diet is another factor that should not be overlooked, including multivitamin supplements that have a positive effect.
The HPV vaccines
There are currently two types of vaccines that protect against cervical cancer. The World Health Organization recommends that these vaccines be given to people under the age of 15 who have a better immune response, resulting in better prophylaxis before the first sexual intercourse. According to the most modern medical views, both girls and boys should be vaccinated.
ThinPrep Pap test and HPV
The ThinPrep Pap test is the most reliable and complete comprehensive Pap test available that is widely used. It is a method of much greater accuracy than the conventional Pap test and when combined with the ThinPrep imaging system, it has a reliability of up to 90%.
The advantages
Offering greater accuracy than the conventional Pap smear – the ThinPrep Pap Test is the only FDA-approved Pap smear – as “significantly more effective” than the conventional Pap smear detection of cervical malformations. In related studies, the ThinPrep Pap Test improved the detection of precancerous cells in the cervix compared to the conventional Pap test.
With the ThinPrep Imaging System, your Pap Tests are tested twice: first by the ThinPrep Imager, and then by a trained cytologist.
In addition, the ThinPrep Pap Test is the only Pap test that has been shown to have an increased ability to detect adenocarcinoma, as support
