HPV is the Human Papillomavirus more commonly known as genital warts and today marks the International Awareness Day. It’s a good time to get clued up on what HPV is and especially what we need to know about when we are trying to conceive.
What is HPV?
HPV, the Human Papillomavirus is a virus which can be sexually transmitted and is the leading cause of cervical cancer. There are over 100 types of HPV and they fall into two groups – low or high risk. Low risk HPVs generally don’t cause disease but the visible warts that you get on your genitals are classed as low risk. High risk HPVs can cause cervical, anal, mouth, and throat cancers. Type 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers but the good news is there is a vaccine that protects against these types.
How to prevent HPV
You can reduce the likelihood of contracting HPV through vaccination, safer sex and regualr cervical screening. Prevention is always better than cure, so it’s important to understand the ways you can protect yourself for the virus.
Vaccination
In the UK the NHS routinely offers the HPV vaccination to boys and girls aged 12 to 13. They have to have 2 doses for it to work properly and if you are under 25 you can get in through the NHS.
Safe Sex
If you aren’t currently trying to conceive, practicing safe sex and using condoms, can help reduce the risk of transmitting the virus. However HPV is transmitted through any skin-to-skin contact. This means that, while using condoms can reduce your risk of contracting HPV, it doesn’t eliminate it.
Cervical Screening
Having regular smears can detect any early cell changes to your cervix. A smear test (cervical screening) checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Some HPVs can cause early cell changes and if they are detected they can be treated before they get the chance to turn into cervical cancer. Cervical screening is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer.
HPV & Fertility
It is known that chlamydia and gonorrhea can affect fertility however there is limited evidence on whether HPV affects fertility.
HPV and Male Fertility
One research paper showed that HPV can decrease semen quality. However, when this was repeated the results were not the same. More research needs to be undertaken to see if this is consistent.
Women & Fertility
HPV alone should not prevent you from becoming pregnant. However, HPV can cause cervical cancer and if HPV was detected on a smear test and treatment was needed to remove cancerous or precancerous cells from the cervix. This can, in turn, affect fertility.
Some treatments can lead to a small risk of complications in future pregnancies. It’s very unlikely that any other treatment for abnormal cells, such as laser therapy, cold coagulation or cryotherapy will affect your ability to get pregnant in the future. However women who have had a cone biopsy could have:
- a higher chance of their babies being born before 37 weeks (preterm delivery)
- a higher risk of a baby that weighs less than 2.5kg (low birthweight)
- an increase in birth by caesarean section
If you are pregnant, you should let your midwife or doctor know if you’ve had treatment for abnormal cervical cells.
HPV & Pregnancy
HPV is not thought to be a problem in pregnancy. A mother is very unlikely to pass HPV onto her baby during a vaginal birth. Vaginal birth is encouraged over a cesarean unless they had large gential warts that were blocking the birth canal, which would be very rare. Genital warts also don’t need to be treated during pregnancy unless they’re especially large or bothersome.
If your smear test comes back abnormal and you are pregnant this can often be treated a few months after the birth. You may need to have a colposcopy (a close examination of your cervix and vagina) while you are pregnant. This is safe to have during pregnancy, and your doctor can see how much the cells on your cervix have changed.
Take home message
If you’re planning to become pregnant, it’s a good idea to check with your GP that you are up to date with your cervical screening. Then you can have the test and if you need treatment you can have it before you become pregnant.
