What are your chances of becoming infected by HPV?

How frequent are HPV infections?

How frequent are HPV infections in the population?

HPV infections are very frequent. They are the most frequent sexually transmitted infections.

Many estimates have placed the lifetime likelihood of getting genital HPV to be in the range of 75-90%.

The highest rates of active infection on the cervix by one or more types of HPV are found in young women aged 18-25 years old and range between 25% and 35%. This is explained by the frequent change of sexual partners.

The risk of exposure to HPV is estimated to be approximately 12-25% per partner.

The rates of active infections drop significantly as the age increases (5-10% in women 40-50 years old).

In the majority of cases with HPV infections there are only subclinical lesions that cannot be seen with the bnakedb eye.

Approximately 1-3% of the population has genital warts, and the lifetime risk is estimated to be about 10%.

Does the chance of infection by genital types of HPV increase depending on the number of sexual partners?

American researchers studied a large group of female students for at least five years. The study included female students who started having sexual contact within the 6 months prior to being included in the study and it focused on infection percentages over time (the uterine cervix was tested for HPV DNA every 6 months). It was found that, within the first two years, 60% of the students were infected by one or more types of HPV, and within five years 80% of them had been infected. The infection percentages were proportional to the reported number of sexual partners.

It is self-evident that the restriction of the number of sexual partners reduces the risk of infection.

What is the probability of becoming infected by a new partner?

It is considered that the risk of exposure to HPV is 12- 25% for each new sexual partner. To get infected, your partner must have an active infection.