{"id":941,"date":"2022-01-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/misconceptions\/"},"modified":"2022-01-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T00:00:00","slug":"misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Biggest Misconceptions about HPV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, around 3,000 new cases of <\/em>cervical cancer<\/em><\/a> are reported in the UK. Despite <\/em>approximately<\/em><\/a> 99.8 per cent of cases being preventable, there are still many misconceptions surrounding cervical cancer. <\/em>Human papillomavirus (HPV<\/a>) is the cause of the majority of cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a group of viruses that are spread during sexual activity, some of which do not cause any noticeable symptoms, the NHS explains<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Due to the way in which HPV is spread, some believe that it is similar to other sexually transmitted infections.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

However, considering the fact that most women are likely to get HPV at some point in their lives and that it cannot be fully prevented, this isn\u2019t necessarily the case. On Thursday, a new study<\/a> found that the HPV vaccine cuts cervical cancer by almost 90 per cent. Rebecca Shoosmith, head of support services at Jo\u2019s Cervical Cancer Trust,<\/a> has spoken with The Independent<\/em> to help dispel 11 of the biggest misconceptions that continue to perpetuate conversations about HPV.<\/p>\n

\n

1. Only women get HPV<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

While cervical cancer is seen as a cancer that affects women, as it can afflict any person with a cervix, HPV can affect anybody.<\/p>\n

The majority people are likely to contract HPV in their lifetime if they are sexually active “regardless of gender”, Ms Shoosmith explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cHPV doesn\u2019t discriminate!\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\n

2. HPV is rare<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Because HPV is known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, this may lead to the assumption that it is only contracted by a small number of people.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cHPV is actually really common with around four in five of us getting it at some point,\u201d Ms Shoosmith says.<\/p>\n

\n

3. HPV is an STI<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

While it is typically transmitted through sexual contact, Jo\u2019s Cervical Cancer Trust is trying to encourage people not to call it a sexually transmitted infection.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike many STIs, it can\u2019t be fully prevented nor can it be treated,\u201d Ms Shoosmith explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso due to how common it is, it is really unhelpful to call it an STI. It\u2019s much more rare to not get HPV.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

4. Having HPV means you will definitely be diagnosed with cervical cancer<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHaving it does not at all mean you will be diagnosed with cancer,\u201d Ms Shoosmith states.<\/p>\n

\u201cInfections are really common and cervical cancer is rare.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jo\u2019s Cervical Cancer Trust representative outlines that the human body typically clears itself of the HPV infection \u201cwithout it doing the body any harm\u201d. \u201cIn some cases it can cause cells to change, which is why smear tests are so important as they mean any changes can be picked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

5. HPV is curable<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Ms Shoosmith emphasises that while it cannot be fully treated, the majority of cases of the infection \u2013 nine in 10 \u2013 are cleared by the body\u2019s immune system.<\/p>\n

She adds that treatment can be provided for cells that have changed.<\/p>\n

\n

6. A vaccination isn\u2019t safe<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe vaccine is very safe and extremely effective,\u201d Ms Shoosmith affirms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt protects against seven out of 10 cases of cervical cancer, so combined with cervical screening it offers a fantastic degree of protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

7. If someone\u2019s partner has the virus, this means they have cheated<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

While it can be transmitted through sexual activity, it can live undetected in the body for around two decades.<\/p>\n

This means it can be extremely difficult to pinpoint exactly when a person contracted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the virus is no sign that someone has cheated at all,\u201d Ms Shoosmith says.<\/p>\n

\n

8. People who use condoms are not at risk of contracting the virus.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

While wearing a barrier-form of contraception such as a condom can reduce a person\u2019s risk of getting the virus. It is not a 100 per cent foolproof preventative measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs HPV lives on the skin, condoms won\u2019t fully protect against it,\u201d Ms Shoosmith explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther sexual contact like touching or oral sex can pass on too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

9. If you don\u2019t have sex, you won\u2019t contract HPV<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

The virus lives on the skin, it is not only spread through penetrative sex.<\/p>\n

It can pass from person to person through other forms of sexual activity, Ms Shoosmith outlines.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever had any kind of sexual contact \u2013 that includes oral sex, any touching of genitals or sharing sex toys \u2013 you could have come into contact with HPV.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

10. There are HPV screenings for men<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

While there are currently no screenings for men, boys are now being offered the vaccine in schools, Ms Shoosmith states.<\/p>\n

In July 2019, it was announced<\/a> that boys in the UK were to be offered the jab for the first time in a bid to reduce cancer rates.<\/p>\n

\n

11. People with HPV always exhibit symptoms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThere are no symptoms and most people who have it will never actually know that they have it,\u201d Ms Shoosmith explains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Connect with us!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, around 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported in the UK. Despite approximately 99.8 per cent of cases being preventable, there are still many misconceptions surrounding cervical cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of the majority of cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a group of viruses that are spread during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,64,60],"tags":[76,77],"class_list":["post-941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-oral-cancer","category-oral-cancer-screening","tag-hpv","tag-misconceptions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velscopeshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}