Ask a Doc

The vaccines are designed to be given in 3 doses to get the most protection against future HPV infections. If you miss the recommended time for the second or third dose, get the next dose as soon as convenient. You will likely still get all or most of the same protection that you would have gotten had you followed the recommended schedule. But if you do not get the second or third dose ever, then you will not get the full protection against HPV. You will have some protection but less than is recommended.

It is not recommended you get both vaccinations.

As you’ve noted, the recommended schedule for the HPV or cervical cancer vaccines is at month 1 for the first dose, dose 2 about 2 months later and then dose 3 at 6 months after the first dose.  If there is some variation in this schedule, your daughter is still likely to get the full or nearly full protection afforded by the vaccine.  You are to be congratulated for making sure that she gets all 3 doses. Getting all 3 doses provides greater protection than merely getting one or two doses.  A small variation in the schedule happens frequently to all of us busy people.

Chances are that your partner has the same HPV types that you have if you're in a long term relationship and having sex only with each other. Most experts think that the HPV virus doesn't 'ping-pong' back and forth between the same partners, so you shouldn't make it worse by having sex after the colposcopy.  But please talk to your doctor about these questions and how you can reduce your risk of having the HPV infection return.  One important step you can take is to not smoke. Smoking increases the risk of a high risk HPV infection growing into cancer. So if you don't now smoke, don't start. And if you do smoke, quit! 

The answer to your first question is that viral load is not routinely tested for in clinical settings. But in research settings, it has been shown that viral load can fluctuate.

Chances are that your partner has the same HPV types that you have if you're in a long term, monogamous relationship. There's a lot we don't know about HPV, but most experts think that the same type of HPV virus doesn't 'ping-pong' back and forth between the same partners- it is likely present in both partners and can recur.   Condom usage can reduce your risk of HPV transmission. Please also raise these questions with your healthcare provider. He or she is in the best position to give you personal medical advice.

Chances are pretty good that you can transmit the virus even when it’s in remission. While HPV disease in men is uncommon- particularly disease related to high risk HPV types, you might still want to think about using condoms. They can reduce your risk of HPV transmission.

HPV is a really common virus. Nearly 80% of all women will have an HPV infection during their lifetime.  Our knowledge of how HPV acts in your body is not yet entirely clear.  It can clear up and not show up again. It can clear up and then return. And it can just hang around as a persistent infection.  In any of these cases, your best bet for reducing your risk of having the HPV infection grow into cancer are similar.  You can reduce your risk by practicing healthy lifestyle habits like eating well, exercising and not smoking. If you smoke, quit.  Smoking has been shown to significantly increase the likelihood of a persistent HPV infection turning into cancer. And make sure you follow your doctor's advice and have regular check ups. 

HPV can lay dormant in your body for a long time. We really do not know how long it can be there without showing any symptoms. So it's not possible to tell whether your HPV infection is no totally gone or if it was just fought and surpressed by your immune system. The best protection you can provide yourself is to follow steps to keep yourself healthy:  eat well, exercise, don't smoke and limit your sexual partners.  Be well.

HPV can lay dormant in your body once you have it for a very long time. Researchers are looking at this question but do not yet fully understand how long it can hang around in your body.  Your high risk HPV could have been laying dormant for all the time you've been married. There is no way to know. So don't go jumping to conclusions and blame your husband.  Make sure that you get regular check ups with your doctor and follow her advice. 

HPV is a virus that we don't yet have a cure for. So there is no medicine to take to get rid of it once you have it.  I'm glad you're thinking about how to protect yourself and reduce your risk of getting HPV. You can get vaccinated to protect you from getting HPV if you are a female between the ages of 9 and 26. Condoms are another good method of protection, although they do not cover every area that may potentially be exposed to this virus.  Other ways to limit your risk of getting HPV are to limit the number of sexual partners you have, eat well and exercise and don't smoke. HPV is a virus that can cause a lot of problems. Once you have it, it can stay in your body a long time. Please do everything you can to protect yourself.  

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.