Do you know 30 questions about the Papilloma Virus?

Continuing our answers to the 30 most important STD questions about the HPV virus:

11 Are there any measures that can prevent the virus? 

It is best to first focus on the risk factors that can increase the chances of contracting the virus.

These include:

• smoking
• number of sexual partners
• frequency of sex
• use of the pill for more than 5 years
• the age you first had sex
• coexistence of other sexually transmitted diseases
• having more than 5 children.

As regards STD Home Tests and protection, we know that the condom is not 100% effective. It remains the best HPV Lab variant Test that measures since it tends to eliminate the possibility of microtrauma in sexual intercourse, which could open the door to direct transmission of the virus. With a condom, there is a minimum risk of infection resulting from contact between the mucous membranes of the vagina, anus or mouth. As we said in question 2, there must be contact without a condom to contract the high-risk strains of the virus. Among barrier devices, Dental dams can also be useful, for example, for cunnilingus, and are effective in preventing oral, vaginal or anal infections. Female and male sexual activity is not limited to penetration.

12 Why carry out screening, and from what age? 

HPV screening testing from age 25 allows you to identify any lesions early. In up to 80% of cases, they can disappear independently in the first 2 years. STI Home exams also allow you to identify and treat high-risk infections, increasing the likelihood of recovery to 90%. This is the goal of prevention. 

13 Where can I get screened and get information? 

Each nation has its protocols for treatment, which a national preventative programme or health charities may provide. You can also access screening and information privately through your gynaecologist. Information from the CDC in the United States and the NHS in the UK is at the bottom of each page of this article.

14 How is screening carried out, and what is the difference between exams? 

14a From 25 to 30 years of age

The clinic calls you every 3 years to undergo a Pap smear; from 30 to 65, they call you every 5 years for the Kits. The Pap STD Lab test, a cytological examination, requires taking skin cells from the cervix using a spatula and cytobrush, which slightly scratches and most women describe as annoying, to examine them with stains for visual alterations. The HPV exam involves the same sampling method. The exam is not a visual examination of the shape and colour of the cells but an examination of the virus’s DNA.

14b After the age of 30

An HSIL lesion becomes more likely, and the Type results, which are much more sensitive than the Pap smear, are the preferred screening method after this age. The Pap smear may detect issues not due to the Papilloma virus or may miss something – often known as a false negative. Doctors have been running trials on the effectiveness of the HPV Type Home kit for 25 to 30-year-olds. 

14c If you are under 30 years of age

If the Pap smear returns negative, the clinic will recall you after 3 years. A positive result may lead to a call for a colposcopy, a second-level exam that enables doctors to inspect the cervix and identify changes visually. If necessary, they will conduct an in-depth analysis with a biopsy. The biopsy aims to confirm the presence of the lesion and enable your medical team to grade it more accurately as either LSIL or HSIL. A biopsy involves taking a small part of tissue from the cervix.

From the age of 30 onwards, if your result comes back negative, the clinic will recall you after 5 years. If the result is positive and a high-risk strain infection is identified, they often perform a Pap smear immediately. If the Pap smear turns out negative (meaning you have a positive STI exam and a negative Pap smear), they will recall you after 1 year to repeat the STD test. There is a high probability that the virus will heal spontaneously. If your exam is still positive at that point, you will receive an invitation for a colposcopy. However, if the HPV Urine result is negative, the clinic will call you back after 5 years, concluding that the virus has resolved independently.

15 Can my doctor perform a biopsy? 

If you meet the criteria for further investigation:

• You are under 30 years of age when you have a Pap smear
• Or over 30 years of age when you have persistent virus (which means positive for more than a yeColposcopycopy involves applying special dyes to the cervix, which changes upon detecting abnormalities. If concerns arise, the gynaecologist takes a biopsy to collect tissue. Colposcopy, an outpatient procedure, lasts 10-30 minutes with possible bleeding and pain. A biopsy doesn’t remove lesions unless they’re small. For positive biopsies, a procedure to remove all altered tissue is necessary.

16. Do you need an anaesthetic for the biopsy? 

Usually not, because the injection of an anaesthetic is about as painful as the biopsy. Cauterizing bloody lesions may cause neanaesthesiasia; however, most biopsies cause discomfort, not pain.

17 Is it normal to have some bleeding after the biopsy? 

Bleeding after the exam is normal and depends on the severity of the lesions. The more blood vessels a lesion involves, the more they bleed. Someone will soon update you on the exam and any bleeding. For prolonged bleeding, your doctor might prescribe medication.

18 How do doctors treat lesions?

 In most cases, on high-grade lesions (HSIL), STD Doctors Test and treat by a surgical procedure known as Conisation. This involves removing the most superficial layer of cervical tissue where the lesion seen in colposcopy is located. Most lesions measure approximately 1 – 1.5cm in depth. This procedure aims to treat the area without stitches and minimize bleeding. In most cases, this procedure is successful in 90% of cases. Monitoring follows to spot new lesions or re-infections in approximately 10% of cases. The strictest STD checks are in the first 2 – 5 years, after which, for high-grade lesions, annual checks should continue.

The hospital performs conization under anaesthesia as a same-day outpatient procedure. This treats the lesion but not the virus, even though it removes the part containing most of the viral load along with the lesion. This means you will likely overcome the virus infection after the procedure. You should, therefore, wait at least 12 months before seeking another Variant virus to give your body time to eliminate it on its own.

If new lesions appear during the exam, the doctor performs another colposcopy and repeats the treatment. Depending on your cervix’s healing capacity, you can undergo multiple colonisations in a lifetime. In most cases, patients may undergo three rounds of treatment. If serious lesions persist, in less than 1% of cases, doctors may recommend removal of the uterus. Repeated colonisations generally do not cause alterations in sexual drive or reduce fertility.

19 What is the probability that a lesion will become, and what are the mortality rates? 

The probability of an HSIL becoming cancer ranges from 12 to 36. Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer and the second highest cancer-related cause of death in women. If diagnosed with cancer, patients will undergo treatments that include a combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.