HPV refers to a group of more than viruses. About 40 strains are considered to be a sexually transmitted infection STI. These types of HPV are passed through skin-to-skin genital contact. This typically happens through vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

I have been talking to this girl for several months. I really like her and want to continue to see her. We have not yet had sex; she has told me that she has HPV, and she and I have been hesitant about going through with it. She is scared I will get infected, and I am little worried myself. She went to the doctor, and they told her to come back in six months for another checkup. She has no signs or symptoms from it.

So how can you protect yourself and your sexual partner from getting HPV? Maybe you have HPV and are worried about infecting your partner. Or, maybe you just want to know how you can lower your chances of getting an HPV infection. But the vast majority of patients recover naturally within one or two years, and have no lasting symptoms. Even if HPV does cause cancer, you can usually catch and treat it — or even prevent it — if you get regular health screenings.

The emotional toll of dealing with HPV is often as difficult as the medical aspects and can be more awkward to address. This may be the area where you feel most vulnerable, and the lack of clear counseling messages can make this even more stressful, especially where relationships are concerned. We regularly receive questions about what to tell either a current or future sex partner about HPV, for example. The better educated you are about HPV, the easier it is to give partners the information needed to answer common questions.