There is no reason to have any negative feelings. You are not alone in having been infected with HPV.
HPV infection is very common. It is estimated that more than 80% of the population may become infected with one or more types of HPV over their lifetime. You are not alone in this. You just didn’t know it.
HPV lives parasitically in the epithelium of the genital organs. Most people infected with HPV don’t know it because they have no visible lesions or symptoms. You can’t know if the DNA of some of the 40 genital types of HPV is inside the cells of the genital organs of your partner. He is not aware of it either. There is nothing you or your partner did wrong.
Do not worry. The vast majority of lesions that appear usually subside on their own. Even if there are some problems, modern medicine can successfully address them. You must not, therefore, feel bad; you are not alone. It is simply best to get regular check-ups, according to the recommendations of your doctor.
The real issue is not your past behavior. You can’t change that. What you can control is your health and practices in the present and future. You have the power to monitor your health, keep the HPV under control, and prevent HPV-related diseases.
There are around 40 different genital types of HPV that infect women and men. These are mainly transmitted through sexual contact. They are distinguished between low and high-risk because they may cause benign or malignant diseases.
All the scientific data available has shown that the vaccination of children before the start of any sexual activity has certain and significant advantages. It is recommended that both girls and boys are vaccinated at ages 11-12.
Genital types of HPV are transmitted as a rule through sexual intercourse. One must come in contact with skin or mucous membranes with HPV lesions to become infected with the virus. There is, therefore, no reason for concern for your children.
Do not let it affect your peace or happiness. Ask an expert for information. Make sure you are correctly informed on the subject. It is usually uncertain which partner infected the other (unless one of the two had never had a relationship in the past).
It is not possible to know exactly when and by whom one became infected. Both women and men may become infected by HPV during sexual intercourse, and then infect their next partners. This is the rule in the majority of cases, because no visible lesions are usually present, only subclinical ones, and individuals infected with HPV are not aware of it.
Unfair though it seems, there isn't an approved HPV test for males. Only people with a history of genital warts know that they were once infected. However, even these individuals don't know if they have been infected with oncogenic types of HPV. Also, they may believe they were cured and no longer carry the virus.
Old infections become latent, and may be activated again. When an infection is latent, neither men nor women are infectious. If at some point in the future the immune system is suppressed, the virus is reactivated and lesions reappear, presenting a risk of transmission to the partner.
In long-term relationships, usually both partners have been infected. Your partner may not have any lesions at this time (if he is examined), but this does not mean that there is no HPV DNA in his cells. His immune system is simply working properly and has suppressed the infection. Several studies indicate that 'shared HPV' does not 'ping pong' back and forth. There is evidence, though, that when lesions are found in one partner, using condoms may speed the clearance of any HPV-related disease. The decreased viral load may allow the individual's own immune system a better chance of eliminating the virus.
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