A gynaecologist can tell you things others don’t, and I am talking about HPV (Human papillomavirus)

Did you know that:

Every 5 minutes, nearly 1 individual loses their life to HPV-related cancers in India.
I didn’t know this, nor did I know that HPV infects around 660 million people worldwide.
Alarming! Isn’t it?

Why is it that we are not talking about it if it is so common?
On my recent visit to my gynaecologist, we had a long discussion. So, here is what my
gynaecologist told me, and I am sharing it with you all through this blog post.

1. HPV IS VERY COMMONLY TRANSMITTED

According to my gynaecologist, most women do not openly talk about sexually transmitted
infections. Many of us consider it a taboo topic to discuss, but sadly, it is also true that HPV is
very common. In fact, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. 80% of sexually
active men and women can get infected with HPV at some point in their lifetime.

2. ANYONE CAN GET HPV

Any sexually active individual can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone
with the virus. HPV can be passed even when an infected person has no signs or symptoms.
Anyone sexually active can get HPV, even if they have had just one sexual partner.

3. HPV CAN SPREAD VERY EASILY

According to my gynaecologist, HPV spreads very easily via:

a) Skin-to-skin contact, any intimate contact with an infected person, like touching or rubbing
and infected area, or any kind of sexual activity can spread the infection.
It is spread mainly by intimate skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, oral, or anal sexual activity.
b) Oral Sex or Deep Kissing
It can spread from one infected person to another through oral sex or deep kissing as well, that is
kissing with tongue.
c) Other ways of spreading
The virus can also be spread by genital contact without sex, but this is not common. While the
oral, genital and hand-genital spread of some genital HPV types has been reported, there may be
other ways to become infected with HPV that aren’t yet clear.

d) Touching infected surfaces – Touching a wart or a surface that HPV has come into contact
with, like a pool or shower, can increase the likelihood of infection.

4. HPV CAUSES GENITAL WARTS AND VARIOUS CANCERS

A person with an HPV infection may develop genital warts within months or years of getting
infected. And HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. According to HPVinfo.ca
(society of obstetricians and gynaecologists of Canada), high-risk HPV is responsible for 70% of
cases of cervical cancer and a substantial proportion of cancers of the anus, vagina, and vulva.

5. HPV can be prevented

There is no treatment for the virus itself, but there are treatments for the cancers and diseases
caused by HPV, e.g., Genital warts, Cervical precancer and other HPV-related cancers.
There are preventive vaccines for HPV. You can and should discuss this with your gynaecologist
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More facts about HPV that you should know:

1. A large majority of cervical cancer (more than 95%) is due to the human papillomavirus
(HPV).
2. Cervical cancer is 2nd most common cancer among Indian women.
3. In India, the mortality rate of HPV-related cancers is about 60%

After knowing these statistics, it feels imperative that we are aware of ourselves and tell
everyone around us.
The conversation with my gynaecologist was an eye-opening discussion for me. As a mother to a
growing girl child, it was essential, and I am grateful that I know about it and can accordingly
take preventive measures and educate my daughter.
Discuss HPV with your doctor. You, too, can educate yourself by reading about this
at  letsfighthpv.com If need be, you can talk to an expert on the website.
I would also like to urge my readers to share this information with young adults and parents of
growing kids. Let’s beat HPV by openly discussing this commonly prevalent virus.

Published in association with MSD India. Please talk to your doctor for more information.