Herballove - Minimizing Your HPV Infection Risk from Sex A Guide for Women

Minimizing Your HPV Infection Risk from Sex – A Guide for Women

If you're not familiar with genital human papillomavirus, or HPV, you need to be. The CDC reports that it's the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world, and that almost every sexually active man and woman acquires it at some point in their lives.

Sound scary? It is the wildfire of STIs, and women should especially be concerned about it, because even though the problem can often be asymptomatic, the presence of HPV can lead to the development of cervical cancer. But with over 40 highly contagious strains of the virus that can take form in the genitals, mouth and throat, the question is, how can you confidently have sex without wearing a HAZMAT suit?

How to Decrease Your Risk

Fortunately, you can minimize your risk of contraction, just like you can reduce your risk of any vaginal infection or discharge. Understand that none of these methods will render you impervious to the disease, but by using caution and common sense, you can give yourself the best shot of remaining virus free.

Get an HPV vaccination. The CDC recommends that girls as young as 11 receive the vaccine. The HPV vaccine—and vaccines in general—have been the subject of controversy in recent years, so if you have had personal concerns about being vaccinated, you'll need to be extra diligent about following the remaining steps on this list.
Limit your number of sexual partners. It seems like common sense, but the more you spread the love around, the more you leave yourself vulnerable to infection. So skip the swinger clubs, and find someone special because as the saying goes: Never give the milk away for free.
Condoms, condoms, condoms. Birth control pills may minimize your risk of getting pregnant, but they don't protect against STIs. It's especially important to use condoms every time you're having sex with a new partner or with a partner with a questionable sexual history.
Remember that even oral sex can lead to the transmission of HPV, so even when you're not directly engaging in intercourse, remember that the same rules for safe sex apply.
Avoid public showers and swimming pools. That's right, the sad reality is that you can contract HPV without actually having sex. You just need to come into direct physical contact with the disease. Perhaps we've finally solved the mystery of those “cooties” that the kids were always so panicked about.

Don't Become a Statistic

With the prevalence of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections, it's no wonder why condoms remain a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. You don't have to limit your sexual encounters to solo acts with sterilized sex toys, but you do need to use common sense when having sex. Some gifts you don't want to receive from your partner.

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GuideID: 62258

Guide Type: Conocimiento

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