That's fucking cuckoo. Will your doctor consent to a pap smear at least? If it's not too much trouble for him. That's the part to worry about. In fact, I'd demand one. I just automatically assume everyone I know is covered in festering pustules down stairs. I'm only half kidding.
So you're not sure what the etiquette is regarding telling someone about the possibility of having HPV when it's equally possible--nay, probable--that they have it themselves and don't know it? I guess it's a conversation that any couple could potentially have, especially in a country that doesn't test for the disease (which is really stupid if the rates are that high--it's like not testing for herpes because you can't get rid of it). "Hey, so I might have this, and so could you. Wanna bang still?" Talk about it and use protection like you normally would anyway. Keep making your doctor check you for symptoms as well.
I had a full blood panel done as well as a vaginal exam. I'll be getting at least a yearly exam from now on, just to monitor the cervix. Although the strains of HPV that cause cancer are not the same strains that cause genital warts. I just wish I knew for sure one way or the other if I'd ever carried it. That would make dealing with it much more straightforward.
That is truly fucked up logic. Which is why, when the oldest goes in for his school physical next month, we are having him inoculated for this. How fucked up is that? I'm having an eleven year old boy vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease. Ain't life grand?
Actually, it is. There are two strains of HPV responsible for 70% of all cervical cancers. By having this done, your son will never unknowingly inflict that kind of disease on someone. It beats the shit out of not doing it or not having access to the vaccine. IMO. Hopefully his girlfriends will never be in the position I'm presently in. ("So, you have it and maybe I do too...?")
That's tough, dcc. Because you don't even know if you have it. Telling someone seems like a lot of potential for drama/stress for something that may or may not even be an issue. And, the evidence says that most of the sexually active population has had it at some point. There's a good chance that the person you're sleeping with (or considering sleeping with?) already has it and doesn't know it. Actually, I don't think it's very common to test men for HPV in the States, either. It kind of makes sense if you think about it: there is no treatment other than monitoring for changes in the cervical cells, and it usually takes a very long time for cervical cancer to develop, if it's even the strain that causes cancer. I had an abnormal pap smear a while ago, and it freaked me out. I've never had an abnormal one, and I automatically assumed that it meant that I had HPV. I went back to the gyno for additional testing, and those results were normal. Turns out that there are other things that can cause an abnormal pap smear, and I don't have HPV. I think that maybe my abnormal one was a fluke, the sample was contaminated or there was some kind of other error. But, until I found out, I did a bit of research on HPV and assumed the worst (which, really wouldn't be the end of the world...there are worse things). At the time I was dating my boyfriend, and we hadn't slept together yet. I had the same dilemma: Do I tell this person that I haven't slept with that I might have an STI? What if we don't even date long enough to have sex? I ended up telling him because I really liked him and didn't plan on ducking out anytime soon. For me, it felt wrong to continue dating someone knowing that I might have some stuff going on. But, I have heard of women choosing not to tell anyone since it is so prevalent.
http://southweb.org/lifewise/the-le...ix-dont-work-are-dangerous-and-werent-tested/ A most interesting article regarding HPV and the associated vaccines. I haven't done any follow-up research, but given the source (Dr. Diane Harper was the lead researcher in the development of the HPV vaccines), this is worth following-up for those with something on the line. If you are considering vaccinating yourself, or your children, this might be a good place to start. And Dcc, before you get on the phone and inform past, present and future lovers, find out exactly what your status is. I assure you that while you think you're doing them a courtesy (considering it could likely be them passing it around), they WILL shoot the messenger.
I recently had a physical and asked for an STI check as well. I got a letter from Alberta Heath Services informing me that my screening (Pap) for cervical abnormalities was clear and mentioning that an HPV test would have followed if necessary. Simple logic just dictates that there is a test. You've had great difficulty getting straight answers from the medical field in the past and this might just be more of the same. Get yourself to a clinic that specializes in sexual heath and get this off of your mind.
Um, the source is an alarmist blog who is presenting the data in a totally misleading way. Not the doctor, whose words are not represented there. VAERS only requires a brief online form or phone call to report an event, and does not represent a verified actual problem, merely a perceived one. Follow-up showing no link to the vaccine does not exclude the event from the database. The VAERS data is public; in 2012, a total of 2,539 events were reported for all HPV vaccines. There are nearly 3,000 events for the Hep A & B vaccines, 8,619 events for seasonal Influenza vaccines, 2,384 for MMR... the existence of VAERS data is completely meaningless. No, that's not what it means. But of course the article conveniently leaves out that those 4 strains account for ~80% of cervical cancer. An alarmist comment targeted at non-scientists who don't understand that virtually all viruses have dozens of different strains, and usually only a couple are actually found commonly. That's shitty "journalism" and given the completely unjustified scares over vaccines in recent times, I think it's totally irresponsible for a site to publish an article like that.
I actually looked this up because one woman asked why I hadn't been tested for it and I didn't have a good answer. From http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/std-testing/ID00047
Well, I will invite myself to judgement. I have tested positive for HPV. I tested before it was all the rage to know what the hell it was (10+ years ago), I certainly had never heard of it. There are no symptoms aside from cervical dysplasia, which I have always had. I tested positive for three years, now when I am tested it comes up negative. It often resolves itself in one to two years. I continue to have the dysplasia, which suggests a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. I am tested twice a year for the HPV and I have a cervical biopsy every year, which is NOT FUN. According to my doctor, I'm in the clear. It never clears up for some women. The shitty part is that men have no test for it, there is no way to know unless they have genital warts, but the HPV doesn't manifest as such all that often. I'm a statistic but fortunately it wasn't permanent.
There is also a very, very high rate of false positives with the current testing methods. Do with that what you will.
I am not saying that the vaccine is a scam, because it definitely has its uses, especially for young people with many possible partners/encounters ahead of them. However, the way it was pushed on me when I tested positive (false positive-came back negative a short time later) for HPV was sickening looking back on it. They said "you never knooowwww..." insinuating that my husband would cheat on me, or that we would divorce. I was so upset when I tested positive and could not figure out how I managed to get it, seeing as how I have had sex with one partner-him, and him with one partner-me. It made me start doubting all sorts of things. Did he lie to me? Has he cheated on me? No, he hadn't, but thanks for the false+ on a virus that is caught sexually. Plus, after that initial test result, I was pressured into a "colpo"&biopsy, which is a no big deal procedure according to the NP. Actually it was pretty painful, thanks for having my back guys. They need to work on better testing for this, but they won't, because it has become a huge money making machine.
The guidelines have recently been changed so there will be fewer colpos recommended as the result of abnormal Paps. Whereas in the past, the algorithm pointed to a colop/bx, now for lower grade abnormalities they are pointing to repeat testing (with both cytology and for high risk strains of HPV).