“Are there any STIs you can’t get tested for?”

When you get tested for STIs it doesn’t mean you’re getting tested for all STIs. Usually when you get tested, your provider will test you for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and maybe HIV.

You might wanna get HPV testing if you have a cervix, or you may just get Pap tests, which look for problems caused by HPV.  If you’ve got a penis, you can’t get tested for HPV, but you can get vaccinated.

If you think you’ve been exposed to another STD or have symptoms, talk with your doctor or nurse — they’ll let you know what tests you might need.

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Human papilloma virus (HPV) is an incurable—but treatable—virus that can cause a world of troubles for women and men.

In the summer of 2006, a vaccine that prevents HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 was created. The name of the vaccine is Gardasil. Many tests and improvements have been made on this drug, and it gives one a greater chance of not contracting the virus. There’s one biggie: The drug must be administered before having sex.

A couple years ago, I went to the Children’s Clinic for my yearly check-up. Later on into the visit, I was not a happy camper. I had blood drawn, sore fingers from the pricking, an influenza and chicken pox vaccination. As the doctor was reviewing my shot record, he noticed that the box for the HPV vaccine was blank. He explained to my mother and me the benefits of receiving the vaccine (even though I was not sexually active) and how it would be administered.

The vaccine is given in three dosages. Each time a dosage is given, you wait six months to get the next. The drug is dispersed through a needle in either the thigh or arm. The first shot I got, I felt a slight burning sensation and then stiffness in my thigh. With the second dosage, I felt no burning sensation and hardly any stiffness. With the last dosage, I felt no pain or stiffness. Each time the drug was given, the doctor asked me to lie down for 10 to 15 minutes, since fainting can be a side effect of the drug.

It is important to receive the HPV vaccine because it can not only prevent cervical cancer and/or genital warts but other life-threatening cancers as well. It’s better to take three shots now than take hundreds of
shots for life.

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2. If you are sexually active, using latex condoms or a dental dam (with oral sex) the right way every time you have sex can lower your chances of getting HPV.

3. Be in a mutually monogamous relationship – or have sex only with someone who only has sex with you. #FridayFact

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“What are genital warts and how do you get them?”

Genital warts are growths that can appear around the genital area or in the mouth. They are caused by certain types of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

There are over 40 types of genital HPV, and most genital warts are caused by two types. They’re passed from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact, during any kind of sex. It’s possible to spread genital warts even when no warts are visible.

Genital warts usually develop six weeks to six months after infection, but it may take longer for some people. Only your doctor can correctly diagnose genital warts. They’re similar in men and women, but in women, genital warts are often seen during a pelvic exam. A lot of times, people mistake other infections and conditions for genital warts, which is why it’s important to have any bumps you notice checked out by a doctor.

There are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting genital warts. You can get the HPV vaccine, which protects against the two types of HPV that cause 90 percent of all cases of genital warts — and 70 percent of those that cause cervical cancers. You can also avoid any kind of sex that involves skin-to-skin contact. For oral sex on a woman, you can use dental dams to reduce the risk of infection. If you choose to have vaginal or anal intercourse, use condoms every time to reduce your risk of STIs.

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HPV can cause serious health problems, including genital warts and certain cancers and there is way to know who will develop health problems from HPV and who will not. In most cases, people who become infected do not even know they have the virus and often, the virus will go away by itself before it causes any health problems. HPV is not the same as herpes or HIV (the virus that causes AIDS).

HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex so anyone who is having sex (or has ever had sex) can become infected with HPV. This virus may also be passed on during oral sex. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners—even when the infected person has no signs or symptoms.
Since most people do not know they are infected, they will pass the HPV on to a sex partner. That means that straight and same-sex partners can become infected. Because there are so many types of HPV, a person can get more than one type of the virus.

Health problems that can be caused by HPV include:

• Genital warts (warts on the genital areas); this type of HPV does not cause cancer;
• Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare condition in which warts grow in the throat;
• Cervical cancer, cancer on a woman’s cervix; and
• Other, less common, but serious cancers, including genital cancers (cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus), and a type of head and neck cancer called oropharyngeal cancer (cancer in the back of throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils).

Signs and symptoms of health problems caused by HPV:
Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. Warts can appear within weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected partner—even if the infected partner has no signs of genital warts. If left untreated, genital warts might go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number. The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types of HPV that can cause cancers.

Cervical cancer usually does not cause symptoms until it is quite advanced. For this reason, it is important for women to get regular screening for cervical cancer. Screening tests can find early signs of disease so that problems can be treated early, before they ever turn into cancer.

RRP (Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis) is a condition in which warts grow in the throat. These growths can sometimes block the airway, causing a hoarse voice or trouble breathing.
There is no certain way to know which people infected with HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems. However, persons with weak immune systems (including persons with HIV) may be less able to fight off HPV and more likely to develop health problems from it.
For this reason, condoms should be used when having vaginal or anal sex. It is recommended that a condom or a dental dam be used when having oral sex.

HPV vaccines are safe and effective, and can protect males and females against some of the most common types of HPV. The HPV vaccines are given in three shots over six months; it is important to get all three doses. Boys and girls at ages 11 or 12 are most likely to have the best protection provided by HPV vaccines, and their immune response to vaccine is better than older women and men.

Girls and women: Two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) are available to protect females against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. One of these vaccines (Gardasil) also protects against most genital warts, and has been shown to protect against anal, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. Either vaccine is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls, and for females 13 through 26 years of age who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. These vaccines can also be given to girls beginning at 9 years of age.

Boys and men: One vaccine (Gardasil) is available to protect males against most genital warts and anal cancers. Gardasil is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old boys, and for males 13 through 21 years of age who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men should receive the vaccine through age 26 years. Males 22–26 years of age may also get the vaccine.

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For advice on how to heighten your safety levels against these infections, check this out: https://bit.ly/18KEenU

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It is most often contracted through vaginal, anal or oral sex, but can be contracted through any genital contact.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI).

How do I know if I have it?
Most people never develop symptoms with HPV, so many people who have contracted HPV do not know that they are infected with the virus or spreading it to others.

However, genital warts are one indicator of HPV, and left untreated the warts could increase in number or size.

Cancer-causing strands of HPV do not cause any symptoms until the cancer has advanced.

Can it be cured or treated?
There is no treatment for HPV, but there are some treatments for the health problems that result from HPV (genital/oral warts, cervical cancer) that can be provided through your doctor.

Although there is no cure for HPV, there are several preventative measures you can take to keep from contracting the disease. There are vaccines available for both males and females to prevent the contraction of HPV.

Regular visits to a gynecologist for screenings can be a huge factor in preventing HPV related cervical cancer and treating health issues caused by HPV.

Condoms can lower your chances of contracting HPV, but HPV can infect areas that are not covered by condoms – so condoms do not fully protect against HPV.

If you’re worried that either you of your partner has HPV, be sure to get tested.

Read more at the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm If you need to get tested, visit our website for help locating a Mississippi clinic near you: https://www.factnotfictionms.com/clinics

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If you’re sexually active, you’d be smart to know how to reduce your risk of getting an STD or HIV, know the symptoms so you can tell if you have one, and to get tested every six months. Find a Health Center for free or low cost testing.

Nearly half of all new sexually transmitted diseases occur among young people ages 15-24. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can also increase the risk of HIV infection.

Chlamydia (cla-mid-ee-ah) can be transmitted from person to person without complete insertion of a penis into the vagina or butt. It can also be passed from mother to newborn during childbirth. Chlamydia infections are treatable and curable with antibiotics. Symptoms (for women, pain and itching of the vulva or vagina, for men pain or itching at the head of the penis) usually appear from one to three weeks after infection, and then go away, even if no medicine is taken. Many people infected with chlamydia never have any symptoms at all. For more on Chlamydia, click here.

Herpes and genital warts are caused by viruses and are spread by skin-to-skin contact. Herpes are sores that can appear around and on the mouth and genitals (penis and vulva); however, you don’t have to be having an outbreak to get infected. This means that just because your sex partner doesn’t have a sore on his penis or her vulva does not mean you can’t get herpes. There are drugs that you can get from your doctor or a local clinic that help control the outbreaks and make you less likely to infect someone else. For more on herpes, click here.

The same is true with human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts. Actually, there are many different types of HPV, some that cause genital warts and some that cause other types of warts. Some strains of HPV that cause genital warts have been linked to cervical cancer. It is estimated that somewhere between 70 and 80% of sexually active adults have been exposed to the strains of HPV that cause genital warts. It is important that sexually active women get regular PAP smears to screen for cervical cancer. If you have not been sexually active, it’s a good idea to get the HPV vaccine to prevent the kind that is most likely to cause cancer. For more on HPV and warts, click here.

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Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it or that they are passing the virus on to a sex partner.

In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years. But, sometimes, HPV infections are not cleared and can cause:
• Genital warts
• Rarely, warts in the throat
• Cervical cancer and other, less common but serious cancers, including cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and the back of throat including base of tongue and tonsils.

The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause cancers. There is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems. If your body does not clear the HPV virus, once you are infected, you will always have HPV.

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