Planned Parenthood

Someone asked us:

Does HPV have a cure?

HPV is a really common STD that has many different strains. Most strains are harmless and go away on their own. A few strains of HPV cause genital warts — called “low-risk HPV” because it’s not dangerous (though warts can be annoying). Other strains of HPV can lead to cancers of the cervix, mouth, throat, anus, vulva, vagina, or penis — called “high-risk HPV.”

There’s no cure for HPV, but there are ways to help treat and prevent it. For people who have a cervix (most people who were assigned female at birth), Pap tests and HPV tests can help screen for high-risk HPV and cell changes before they lead to cervical cancer. There’s also a similar test for HPV in the anus, but it’s not as common. Right now there’s no test for high-risk HPV or related cell changes in other parts of the body, like the mouth or throat.

Genital warts can be removed by your doctor or a medicated cream that you use at home. Genital warts caused by HPV aren’t dangerous and they don’t lead to cancer, but removing them can help you avoid spreading the virus to others and make you more comfortable if the warts bother you.

There’s also the HPV vaccine, which is a safe way to protect against most types of HPV that can cause cancers and genital warts. The HPV vaccine works best when people get it at a young age — around 11 or 12 — so they can be fully protected years before they have sexual contact. But you can generally get the HPV vaccine up through age 26.

Using condoms and dental dams when you have oral, anal, and vaginal sex can also help prevent HPV. But since HPV is spread by skin-to-skin touching and can live on parts of your genitals that aren’t protected by safer sex barriers, it’s still possible to get HPV even if you always use protection. That’s why it’s important to get the vaccine, and to stay up to date on Pap and HPV tests.

HPV is very, very common — most people will get it at some point in their lives. The good news is the virus usually clears up on its own without doing any damage to your body. Most of the time, people who have HPV don’t even know it and it never affects their lives. So if you or a partner find out that you have HPV, try not to freak out. You’re in good company, along with … well, pretty much the entire human population. Talk with your doctor about ways to keep yourselves healthy, and try to remember that most of the time, HPV doesn’t cause serious health problems.

 -Kendall at Planned Parenthood