Description

Dr. Grobe discusses the effectiveness of the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine and shares if condom use can prevent HPV transmission.

Transcript

How to Prevent HPV Infection The HPV vaccines contain four strains of the HPV virus, vaccinates against four strains of the HPV virus, and there are, I think, over a 100 HPV viruses. So if the strain of HPV that you have been vaccinated against is not one of the strains of HPV that you come in contact with you will still contact HPV and then you still assume the risk of potentially having an abnormal PAP. One way for a woman to protect herself from contacting HPV is condom use. However, there are no tests for men to determine whether or not they have HPV. These strains of HPV do not cause genital warts therefore there are no signs or symptoms that men have to indicate that they may possibly be carrying the HPV virus that causes abnormal PAPs. So it is also very important if you’ve had an abnormal PAP, if you have HPV and you are in a committed long-term relationship and you decide to treat that abnormal PAP or HPV, that your partner also gets treated. Just like in women, in men, they can also clear an HPV infection in two to three years but in that time it is also possible for that infection to be passed back and forth between partners.