Ask a Doc

You should try to do your best to get the shot on time.  However, if you do not get it on time, there does not appear to be a reduced response (non-inferiority) in those who get the 2^nd and 3^rd doses delayed.

No- but it probably hurtJ

No need to worry.  HPV is transmitted by skin to skin contact. Sex is the most common skin to skin contact when this occurs. It isn’t spread through toilet seats or towels; eating out of the same bowl of cereal or kissing. So your other daughter is not in danger of contracting the HPV virus from her sister.

Sex will not aggravate your condition. But if you do have sex, you can reduce your chance of getting another strain of the HPV virus by having sex with only one partner, who also only has sex with you. If you are not in such a monogamous relationship, you can reduce your risk by limiting the number of partners you have and choosing only partners who have a limited number of partners.

You can also protect against getting infected with another HPV strain by using a condom during sex. This will give you some protection against HPV, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that may increase your risk of cervical cancer. In addition to vaccination and regular screening, consistent condom use has been shown to reduce the risk of cervical, vaginal, and vulvar HPV infection.

Another important way to fight off your HPV infection is not to smoke. If you do smoke, try to quit. And if you don’t smoke, don’t think about starting.

The answer to your question is not known.  It is not known what the ‘transmission efficacy’ of HPV is.  That is, we do not know the rate by which people actually get an infection for each exposure to the virus.  This is in contract to other sexually transmitted microbes, where an exposure often results in infection.  There is another unknown about HPV infections to complicate matters. If an HPV shows up at a later time, it is not clear whether this HPV infection is new or a reactivation of an old HPV infection. We have a lot yet to learn about HPV.  To reduce your and your partner’s risk of getting HPV, see the assessing your risk section of our web site, www.cervicalcancercampaign.org/ccfacts/risk.html.

Studies show that the vaccine is extremely safe. There is no live virus in the vaccine. The most common side effects that occur right after receiving the injection are redness and soreness where the shot was given. Headaches (like when you have a cold or fever) can also happen. Rarely, fever can also occur. Over-the-counter pain and fever medications will help if you have symptoms. As with any new vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA will continue to monitor HPV vaccination for long term effects.  One of the questions that they will be looking to answer is the same one you’ve asked, that is, how long will this vaccination last and will a booster be needed in future years.  After seven years of research, the efficacy of the vaccine appears to be lasting.                                                                                                                                                         

No, you don’t need to start the vaccination series all over again. You should proceed to get the last vaccine after pregnancy.  In fact, you should receive the HPV vaccine as soon as you can after pregnancy.  If you are breastfeeding, the CDC recommends you can still get vaccinated while lactating.

Yes, you will be able to have sex again.  However, there is still a lot we do not know about HPV. Most experts think that the HPV virus doesn't 'ping-pong' back and forth between the same partners. The LEEP or Cone procedures do not get rid of your HPV infection, only the abnormal cells resulting from persistent HPV infection.  Condoms do offer some protection against HPV transmission, as well as other sexually transmitted infections. But HPV can be spread through genital contact and that contact can occur outside of the area covered by a condom. So condoms don't offer complete protection against HPV, but they might offer you some peace of mind. 

It is thought, though, that after a LEEP or a Cone procedure, your body will mount an effective immune response to assist in clearing the virus. That is why these procedures are so effective, and cervical abnormalities rarely come back after such procedures in women with working immune systems. But this does not happen in all women and it is impossible, at this time, to predict who will have a persistent HPV infection which may lead to a recurrence of abnormal cells. That is why you need to talk about your concerns with your provider and continue to take good care of yourself and get regular checkups and Pap tests, especially if you have had a procedure for abnormal cervical cells.

From what we know from studies conducted on the cervical cancer vaccine so far, it appears to be safe to get the cervical cancer vaccine along with other vaccines (co-administration).  Long term studies will continue.

You ask a question that is on the mind of a lot of women upon hearing that they have unexpected results from their Pap test.  In most women infected with HPV, the cells in the cervix return to normal after the body's immune system has eliminated the HPV infection of forced it into latency without the woman ever having any signs or symptoms of the HPV.  However, some HPV infections do not fo away and may remian present in the cervical cells for year, without causing any abnormalities most of the time. Most HPV infections clear up within 2 years, some sooner, some longer. Long-standing infection can lead to changes in the cells that can progress to cancer if not treated. If is these cell changes taht a Pap test can detect. Make sure that you follow up with your doctor to get the treatment recommended so taht your pre-cancer cells don't turn into cancer.  Your actions can prevent cervical cancer.

The answer to your question is 'yes' it is possible for HPV to become active again.  But it doesn't happen in every case.  HPV has a tendency to lay dormant for years.  It can then reoccur. In some women, it may reoccur many times and cause the changes you have described such as CIN or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and VAIN or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia.  In other women, it may not reoccur.  If you think you are having problems, please contact your doctor and ask about these concerns.

While the vaccine is not recommended for women who are pregnant, so far in the ongoing registries, there is no evidence that the vaccine harms the baby.  Do talk the situation over with your health care provider, but don’t be overly anxious. 

Getting pregnant now after receiving the vaccine is fine. The vaccine is considered a class B drug and there are ongoing pregnancy registries tracking pregnancy outcomes in women who have gotten pregnant around the time of receiving the vaccine.  See the question and answer above from Bitsy. You should feel perfectly safe getting pregnant after getting the three vaccine series. 

While most HPV becomes clinically not detectable after some time, this does not necessarily mean it has gone away.  You may have cleared the virus or it may still be in your body in non-detectable levels. The good news is that the likelihood of its returning, once it is gone, is small.  Most of us have HPV but never know it.  It is very common.

The likelihood is high that you are infected with a high risk HPV type which means that you may pass it on to your next partner.  Unfortunately, the risk of your transmitting this HPV type to your next partner is not known.  What we do know is that a number of things need to occur, in addition to oncogenic or cancerous HPV infection, before a woman develops cervical cancer. Most women who have an HPV infection clear it on their own and cancer does not develop. Transmitting the virus to your partner rarely results in any disease.  HPV infections in men, like those in women, clear on their own most of the time over a period of time which can last from a few months to several years.  To best understand your specific risk, you should discuss these issues with a healthcare provider that deals with HPV so they can give you more personal guidance.