Hello all, im glad i found a support group.
I have recently been diagnosed with hpv 16 and i am 39 i have two boys one is 10 and the other is 7. I honestly stafted being scared of death when i found out. I have a question. Should i also screen my throat and rectum area as well ?
I am very sorry to hear that you have HPV 16, please try not to be too scared not all high risk HPV turns into anything sinister and you can still clear it by yourself. This is a good thing as it means they will keep a closer eye on you with more frequent smears and if (a big if) they are any abnormal cells found they can remove them before they turn into CC.
As to other areas I think if there was any concerns they would carry out checks on them too I haven’t heard of HPV causing issues with the other areas so think it would be very rare.
2 Likes
Hi @Mfaouri
Just wanted to echo what hollygirl has said…
its natural to feel this way especially when you know your specific strain… originally i was told i had HPV16 even after vaccination, but then i was told its just a high risk strain they dont actually know which one (most of the NHS dont use the strain specific testing as it really doesnt actually matter which strain we have they are all treated and monitored the same way)
Over 99% of women with a HPV infection wont receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime (thats even with strain16) its not that this strain is more likely to turn cancerous, its thought to be more problematic as it could be more likely to persist past the average timeframe of clearance, but it doesnt mean it will or if it did that it would turn cancerous, as strain 16 is the most common (the OG strain) many women do test positive for this strain for many years without it causing an issue
The HPV virus normally clears within 1-2 years in 90% of cases, 10% does persist past this timeframe but do still eventually clear it (its not something that is lifelong) with only 1% turning cancerous… it seems very dark a gloomy right now but you do have statistics on your side
In regards to the other screenings…
Anal paps are recommended for those who could be at higher risk for anal cancer i.e those with HIV/where their immune systems are known to be compromised so they could be more susceptible to it, having an infection on the cervix doesnt automatically mean they have it elsewhere so someone testing positive on a cervical pap doesnt increase this likelyhood so it doesnt make us eligble for them
With oral HPV, theres no screening for this however oral infections are thought to have a much faster clearance rate and as i said above, having an infection in one place doesnt automatically mean we have it elsewhere… only around 10% of men and 3.6% of women have oral HPV with 1% becoming cancerous, there no screening programmes for this as even with the small potential, with oral HPV there isnt alot they can do, if at all, to prevent it from happening… it often doesnt generally have visible lesions or discolourations that it has in other places that are the early warning signs, but there are certain clues that the likes of a dentist for example can look out for
I honestly wouldnt stress about the other areas, there isnt anythig indicating you have it anywhere other than the cervix… its easier said than done, but with the cervical infection i would just be cautious about rather than something to stress over xx
2 Likes
