• HPV is the most common STI in the U.S.
• By age 50, it is estimated that 80% of women will have an HPV infection.
• More than 5 million people are infected with HPV each year.
• HPV can be transmitted without sexual intercourse.

What is it?     

Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the name of a group of viruses that include more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva, or anus, and the lining of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.

Signs and Symptoms

Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected, but some people get visable genital warts.

Genital warts usually appear as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-colored lesions, usually in the genital area. They can be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large, and sometimes cauliflower shaped. They can appear on the vulva, in or around the vagina or anus, on the cervix, and on the penis, scrotum, groin, or thigh. After sexual contact with an infected partner, warts may appear within weeks or months, or not at all.

How common is it? 

Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least half of all sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, it is estimated that at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year.

How do people get HPV?

HPV is spread mainly through genital contact. It is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex, and sometimes by genital touching with someone who has genital warts.

Testing and Treatment

Most women are primarily diagnosed as having HPV on the basis of changes in their Pap test. There is also a HPV DNA test for women.

How do I Protect Myself?

The surest way to eliminate the risk for HPV infection is to refrain from any genital contact with another individual. HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as areas that are not covered. While the effects of condoms in preventing HPV infection is unkown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an HPV associated disease. Long-term monogamous relationships are another good way to protect one from an HPV infection.

Reference: Information obtained from Center for Disease Control and Prevention