{"id":6077,"date":"2021-03-04T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6077"},"modified":"2021-03-11T11:10:59","modified_gmt":"2021-03-11T11:10:59","slug":"hpv-awareness-day-7-myths-about-hpv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/hpv-awareness-day-7-myths-about-hpv\/","title":{"rendered":"HPV Awareness Day: 7 Myths about HPV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today is International\nHPV Awareness Day. On this dedicated day, ask yourself: \u2018how much do I know\nabout HPV?\u2019. To help raise awareness surrounding HPV, Better2Know is here to\ndispel seven common myths.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

HPV stands for the \u2018Human Papillomavirus\u2019, of which there are around 140 different strains. Some of these strains can be sexually transmitted. When the virus is sexually transmitted, it can be passed through sexual contact, sexual intercourse or the exchange of bodily fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HPV is very common,\nand for most people, it will not cause a problem. However, some cases of HPV\ncan become chronic, leading to more serious health implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This HPV Awareness Day<\/a>, Better2Know aims to help our readers understand more about HPV by busting some common myths. So, let\u2019s get clued up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> All types of HPV can cause cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT: <\/strong>Whether an HPV infection can become\ncancerous or not depends on whether it is a high-risk or low-risk strain. There\nare at least 14 high-risk strains of HPV<\/a>, which are associated with the\ndevelopment of cancers. For example, 99.7% of cervical cancer cases occur as a\nresult of a chronic HPV infection. Other types of cancer associated with HPV\ninclude anal, penile, vaginal, mouth and throat cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, low-risk strains of HPV<\/a> are very common. It is the low-risk strains which can cause genital warts that may require treatment, but often do not pose a serious risk to long-term health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Doctor<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

MYTH: <\/strong>Men can\u2019t catch HPV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT:<\/strong> One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding\nHPV is that only women can contract the virus. This misunderstanding derives\nfrom the strong association between HPV and cervical cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men can have\nand transmit both high-risk and low-risk strains of HPV. In men, low-risk types\ncan lead to genital warts, while high-risk types can lead to cancers of the\npenis, anus and throat, although these are relatively rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike women, men are not routinely tested for HPV. However, those who are at higher risk such as men who have sex with men (MSM) may consider getting tested for HPV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> If I had an HPV infection, I would\nhave symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT:<\/strong> Low-risk strains of HPV may appear\nin the form of genital warts<\/a>, but an HPV infection often does not\npresent itself with any symptoms. Therefore, testing for both high-risk and low-risk\nstrains is important. Women should attend regular cervical screens to look for abnormal\ncells or changes within the cervix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have\nany genital pain or abnormal bleeding, it is important to include an HPV test\nto find out if an HPV infection could be the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> I have been vaccinated against HPV,\nso I don\u2019t need to have a PAP smear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT:<\/strong> An HPV vaccine<\/a> can protect against several high-risk\nand low-risk types of the virus, including those associated with cancers and\ngenital warts. However, the vaccination does not protect against all high-risk\nstrains, nor any HPV types that you may already have, so it remains extremely\nimportant for women to attend their cervical screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> If I use a condom during sex, I will\nnot catch HPV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT:<\/strong> HPV can be passed through sexual\nintercourse, including vaginal, anal and oral sex, as well as skin-on-skin\ncontact. Practising safer sex is always a good idea to protect against sexually\ntransmitted infections (STIs), but it is important to know that condoms are not\n100% effective and do not protect the skin around the genitals, so HPV can\nstill be passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> HPV can be cured with medication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT:<\/strong> The HPV virus cannot be specifically\ncured. However, pre-cancerous lesions, genital warts and cancers can often be\ntreated. In some cases, the immune system will clear up an HPV infection on its\nown over time. In other cases, warts or lesions can be removed either surgically\nor by using liquid nitrogen to freeze them off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH:<\/strong> HPV can be detected with a blood\ntest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FACT: <\/strong>Unlike other viruses such as HIV or\nHepatitis, there is no blood test available to detect HPV. Instead, HPV is\ntested for with a swab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak to Better2Know in confidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are\nworried about HPV, Better2Know can help you. We offer confidential HPV testing at\nour nationwide clinics<\/a>, as well as convenient home sample\ncollection kits for low-risk types which cause genital\nwarts<\/a> or a vaginal swab for high-risk types<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\ncontact our sexual health advisors at any time by phoning the number at the top\nof the page or sending a message using our live chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

[1] Ask\nAbout HPV: What you need to know about HPV<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Healthline: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in Men<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today is International HPV Awareness Day. On this dedicated day, ask yourself: \u2018how much do I know about HPV?\u2019. To help raise awareness surrounding HPV, Better2Know is here to dispel seven common myths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[23,21,20],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[3371,3370,612,3358,855,3368,2550,3357,3369,2215,3225,3360,3362,3363,3366,3367,560,1325,3359,3365],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6077"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6077"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6085,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6077\/revisions\/6085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6077"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=6077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}