Approximately 80% of women in the United States get infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. In fact, you could have it right now without knowing it because any HPV infections don’t cause symptoms.
HPV comes in about 100 varieties. Some HPV infections result in genital warts. Others can cause cervical cancer. In fact, HPV infections cause almost all cervical cancer cases.
As part of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, we at Enrich Family Practice want you to learn about HPV. If you’re sexually active, Kelly Burrows, APRN FNP-C, and Lee Ann Garza, FNP, encourage you to come in for regular testing for HPV and other STIs at our office in Odessa, Texas.
Meanwhile, here’s what you need to know about HPV?
Like the herpes virus, you can transmit an HPV infection through intimate touch alone. Even if your partner wears a condom, if they’re infected, they could give you an HPV infection through:
Condoms do protect against other STIs that are transmitted through bodily fluids, such as sperm. Unless you’re in a monogamous, long-term relationship, you should always use condoms, even if you use other forms of birth control, to get STI protection.
However, HPV transmits via skin-to-skin contact rather than bodily fluids.
Most women who’ve been in an intimate relationship have contracted HPV at one point or another. You could even have an active infection now, even if you don’t have any symptoms.
Most of the time, HPV infections resolve on their own within two years. However, they can also remain undetected in your body for extended periods.
All warts stem from some sort of HPV infection, including the ones that sometimes appear on the genitals. Genital warts could be flat or could look like miniature heads of cauliflower. They may appear on:
Always inspect your partner visually before and during sex. If they have warts, abstain from intimacy until the warts resolve.
Since the advent of Pap smears — which can identify cervical cancer at an early, curable stage — cases of cervical cancer and cervical cancer deaths have dropped considerably. However, cervical cancer is still a very real worry.
There were more than 13,000 new cases of cervical cancer in 2025. More than 4,000 women died from the disease.
When it’s caught at an early stage, cervical cancer can be cured. That’s why it’s important to have regular Pap tests. When we administer a Pap test, we also check for an HPV infection.
If you’re 26 or under, or if you have a daughter who’s 9 or older, consider the HPV vaccine. Most women over age 26 won’t benefit from a vaccine because they’ve already been exposed to HPV.
An HPV vaccine provides significant protection against an HPV infection. Approximately 13 million people in the US — including teens — develop an HPV infection at some point. Giving your preteen an HPV vaccine protects them for at least 10 years.
Since HPV vaccines were made available, rates of the genital-wart type of HPV infection have dropped by 88% in teen girls. The types that cause genital warts and cervical cancers in young adult women have dropped 81%.
Are you interested in an HPV vaccine for yourself or your child? Or is it time for your Pap smear and HPV test? Call Enrich Family Practice at 432-200-9052 to schedule a women's health appointment today.
