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HPV Confusion
I am SO confused.
HPV can cause oral cancer... fact.
HPV can be spread through oral sex or EVEN kissing.
There is no test to know if you have HPV.
More facts.
HOW on Earth is it safe to even date people anymore if a bunch of us are carrying HPV and something as simple as kissing can spread the virus which can lead to throat cancer?
Are a ton of today's youth going to end up with throat cancer unless we vow to not kiss anyone until we get married?
This is terrifying me... it makes me want to not date. Ever.
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Want to answer more questions in the Sexual Health and Reproduction category?
Maybe give some free advice about: STD Information?
Razhie did a good job clearing up some of the things you did not know or were false about HPV so I won't go there.
What I will address is being terrified about life. Life has risks, that is just the way it is. There are things we can do to mitigate these risks. Such as using condoms when having sex even if you are on birth control. Condoms are effective in preventing transfer of certain STD and HIV/AIDS virus. It means to not have sex with people at risk for certain STDS and the AIDS virus it does not mean not to enjoy a sex life, just take proper precautions.
Simple precautions like looking both ways before crossing the street so you don't get hit by a bus or car minimizes risk of being killed while crossing the street. Not crossing the street at all greatly reduces your world to just one square block.
Having annual medical and dental check ups. Going to the doctor if you suspect something or you don't feel well. For women, men too it means doing a breast exam with your morning shower. Early detection of a lump means any cancer is almost always a total cure.
There are things we do everyday almost by root that minimizes are daily risks. As long as we do things that do not put us at great risk we will live a long life.
To be terrified at some of the things that are out there that can do you harm is wrong. That is not the way to live your life. In fact it is not living it is hiding. Take proper but not excessive precautions and you will be fine.
An example: My son is a paramedic/firefighter. He is paid to take risks. He could not do his job if he was paralyzed with fear. He knows the risks that are out there when responding to medical and accident calls. He trusts his training to protect him just as he does when entering a burning building. I trust his training to keep him safe. Yes firefighters do die in the line of duty. It happens when they don't follow their training. I trust my son not to take unnecessary risks and to follow his training. If he does take a risk it is to save a life. we all accept this.
Risks are a part of life. You protect yourself against the ones you know. You try not to take unnecessary risks unless there is no alternative. Most of all you do not let those risks paralyze you with fear. Life is too short for that.
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You've got some of your facts basically right, but you're missing some key information and drawing some confused conclusions
HPV is linked to an increase chance developing oral and throat cancer: TRUE.
HPV can be spread through oral sex or even kissing: TRUE.
There are lots of different kinds of HPV, but they can all pass via skin to skin contact, but generally only to the areas they are designed to attack. For example: Genital HPV don't be spread the mouth, and HPV on the hands don't spread to the genitals.
There is no test to know if you have HPV: FALSE.
There are common tests for genital HPV for women, and for men and women for oral HPV infections.
And here is some of what you've missed:
CDC says that up to 80% of Americans will have HPV infections in their lifetime and 99% with clear these infections without consequence.
That means, in 99% of cases, a healthy body will clear out an HPV infection. Of those 80% infected, only a small percentage will carry the version of HPV that has been linked to cancer, and only a smaller percentage still will have a persistent infection.
About 1 and 10,000 people will develop some sort of oral cancer in their lifetime, not all of those connected to HPV.
So the chance of an average person getting HPV is about 4 out of 5, and the chance of getting oral cancer is 1 in 10,000. Oral cancer remains relatively uncommon (in non-smokers) and mostly appears between age 60-70, like most cancers. Oral cancer is also not a particularly aggressive cancer - when it's caught in stage one, the survival rate is 90%.
By the time you are 60 or 70, there will be better screening and detection, better vaccines and better treatment.
There is also a vaccine for HPV right now which protects women from the oral and genital versions of HPV that have been linked to cancer. It's been around for nearly a decade now, and it's approved for use in men in some areas. If you are a young teen, you are probably a candidate for the vaccine, and it's something you can look into with your doctor.
Honestly, you are over-reacting. Being alive comes with some inherent risks. You can't let each new bunch of stats you read send you into a terror, or else you'll never get into a car, or go swimming in a lake, or kiss anyone!
Yes, HPV is a real problem for this generation (actually, HPV has always been around and having these effects on human beings - we only just recently noticed it and have been able to to detect it), and although we have learned new data about it's links to cancer, that data should be confidence-building, not terrifying. Doctors know a key piece of the puzzle to look for. People with persistent HPV infections will know to have regular screenings for cancer so they can catch it in stage one and have great odds at beating it (if they even get it, which only a minority will). HPV has always been around, 'causing exactly these sorts of illnesses in human beings. The only difference is that we've only very recently spotted it and are learning how to fight it. That's a win for medical science and something to be aware of, not something to loose sleep over.
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