Partystar

So it's a sexually transmitted disease then, good to know, thanx.

ukmumsie

UNfortunately the only testing for men is still done on a research basis and of course it rarely causes any serious conditions in men (apart a warty thingy). They just pass it own the buggers

Englishmum

No, not necessarily from an infected man. I know a lesbian who has HPV.

Condoms offer *some* protection but as HPV is spread by skin to skin contact and condoms don't cover all of the genital area completely, there is still a risk of contracting the HPV virus.

Please do read through the FAQs below, and see the answers to questions #4 (How do you get HPV?) and #10 (Are lesbians at risk of getting HPV):

Info for Women Aged Under 30 -

http://www.thehpvtest.com/under-30/H...FAQ.html#howdo

Info for Women Aged 30 and Above -

http://www.thehpvtest.com/over-30/HP...virus-FAQ.html


Home Page:

http://www.thehpvtest.com

Partystar

Thanx for the info, I should be fine, I only have sex with my husband & he isn't into messing around, plus I was tested for everything under the sun when I was being diagnosed for my endometriosis, cuz at first the GP said I had a sexually transmitted disease, I was mortified.

She even told me that it was that without a doubt when I protested. After loads of tests, being treated for things I didn't have, calling every man I'd had sex with in the previous 2 years (luckily it was only 2) & then them having their dicks scrapped, they found out I didn't have a sexually transmitted disease, in fact they didn't know what was wrong.

I finally got diagnosed a few months later after I booked myself into a gynae clinic at work, it was endometriosis. Nice eh?!? Sorry went off on a tangent there, I still harbour some ill feelings towards that crappy GP bitch, can you tell?!? Wonder how many times she got sued?!?!

Geordie George

Ah, HPV! I'm becoming an arm-chair expert on this topic (the most dangerous kind ).

The most important point about HPV is how common it is: there are over 100 different types of HPV and four out of five people will have it at some stage of their lives. Chances are you have it or have had it, even if you don't know it.

Most people with HPV will never know they have it and often the infection will disappear on its own. However, there is no cure or treatment for HPV.

Additionally, there are a number of strains of HPV that are considered high-risk: 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68 and 69. Strains 16 and 18 cause about 70% of cases of cervical cancer. (The vaccine is targeting those two strains.)

Cervical cancer is a very slow-developing disease (typically taking ten years to present). Changes to the cervix are graded: minor changes, HPV changes, CIN 1, CIN 2, CIN 3 (CIN 3 is sometimes known as severe dysplasia or carcinoma in situ). CIN 3 means pre-cancerous cells cover the full thickness of the surface layer of the cervix. Once the deeper layers of the cervix have been affected by the abnormal cells than a cancer has developed. Without treatment, women with CIN 3 have a 50% chance of developing cancer. With treatment, that's reduced to a 20% chance.

There's some very useful general info on the site below:

http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/in...sf/Content/hpv

And the reason I know all this? I've just undergone treatment for CIN 3. So, would I get my child vaccinated? Abso-bloody-lutely. If I could have prevented this from happening, I would have. It's frightening. But it's unbeliveably common and there's no need for it to be.

Rant over.

TouristTrap

It isn't that I am against vaccinations per se, but, I wouldn't do it if I had a daughter until I knew it was safe.v As to enforcing it, they have absolutely no right.

http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/news/rfk.pdf

Pretty informative as to why we should be better informed when we allow vaccines into our bodies.

englishnurse

i had surgery for CIN level 3 i have never felt so scared in my life, interestingly i didnt test positive for HPV, so a vaccine wouldnt have prevented my cancer.
however if this vaccination becomes available to my daughter she will be having it, what concerns me is people thinking they are safe because they have been vaccinated, my case shows that smears should be kept up to date, vaccination or not.
Been clear now for over five years thankfully

ukmumsie

Today show debating this topic as I write!

Elvira

That site is SO biased...

Look here for some fact-based information:

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/conce...vacs-facts.htm

Englishmum

Wow - I'd be angry too......you must have been so embarrassed at having to call your ex-partners (surely you meant 'scraped' rather than 'scrapped' LOL! ).

You probably had all of those tests some time ago though; the HPV test has only been available in the last year or so.

Do ask to have the HPV test next time you have your PAP smear...they just use a tiny little brush and it's painless and takes about 10 seconds. It's worth it for the peace of mind.

I heard a radio announcer (WOR710 AM, a NY station) say today that her best friend died of cervical cancer at the age of 32, leaving behind a 2 year old son. She had had three PAP smears and somehow none of them had shown that she had cancer. The lady on the radio didn't elaborate, I don't know the reasons why the results weren't picked up. If the HPV test was available then, she said it may have meant that the obgyn would have monitored her more closely before it was too late.

My friend who tested positive for the HPV will now need to have PAP smears every six months, not the nicest thing to have but definitely worth it. Her daughter is 8 but she definitely wants her to have the vaccination before she becomes an adolescent.

Englishmum

What was the conclusion?

Ridski

Me too. My position on freedom of choice does not extend to 13 year old girls, here, just to clarify, but to the parents. I believe it's the parent's decision whether to vaccinate or not, and the government should keep their mucky hands out of it.

ukmumsie

Basically there was concern about not enough testing having been done so far, will insurance companies pay for the vaccination, is it saying its OK for early teen girls to have sex. Also it is not a cure, just preventative and most of the testing was done on women no kids. 17 other states are considering mandating the vaccine. The debate was far from over on the show and I am sure will not be for a while. Hope this helps

Englishmum

I don't know about other states but here in New Jersey it is mandatory for any child entering a public high school to show proof that he/she has been vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

I didn't know anything about how Hep B is transmitted until I read up on it.....see below in the column headed "Transmission":

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/fact.htm

So Hep B is transmitted by blood to blood, sex with an infected person without using a condom, from shooting up drugs with an infected needle or from an infected mother to her unborn child.

Well - I queried this with the doctor as of course British kids aren't routinely given Hep B jabs and my son was 14 years old. His reply was that "you would be surprised at how many kids at High Schools in America are having sex and it is rare for them to be virgins by the time they leave High School".

In NJ you can prevent your child from having jabs for religious reasons (and I guess medical reasons eg. allergic reactions). My son ended up having the course of Hep B jabs even though I didn't think it was strictly necessary.

Just wondering if the parents who wouldn't want their daughters having the HPV vaccination would also object to them having the Hep B jabs?

TouristTrap

USA = $$$ = Drug lobby.

Need I say more?

Inserting mercury into a child is defintely safe, I'm sure. The CDC/FDA said so.