HPV Treatment for Women

The term Human Papillomavirus or HPV is used to refer to different types of viruses that cause warts on different parts of the skin. There are more than 100 types of viruses that are included under HPV. Out of these, 30 viruses are transmitted through sexual contact. Both men and women can get infected by HPV. Men and women who are sexually active are vulnerable to this infection as it spreads through sexual contact. HPV in women causes warts in the vagina, vulva and cervix. Research has also revealed that certain strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer, cervical and vaginal dysplasia in women. Scroll down to find out about the causes and symptoms of HPV along with HPV treatment for women.

Causes and Symptoms of HPV in Women

Some HPV types cause warts on the hands and feet, whereas certain strains are responsible for causing genital warts. These warts may be raised or flat. These could be pink, red or brown in color. Some bumps might form in clusters. The genital warts are generally caused by the low risk HPV and are different from the strains that cause cervical cancer. Besides causing genital warts and pre-malignant genital lesions, this virus can also cause recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, upper respiratory lesions, cervical or vaginal dysplasia.

How do you get HPV? The only way a woman can get infected by the HPV is skin-to-skin contact. Since it is a sexually transmitted disease, it is transmitted when one has sexual intercourse with a person infected with HPV. Thus having vaginal or anal intercourse or oral sex with an infected person makes you very vulnerable. Those who have many sexual partners and also indulge in unprotected sex are more vulnerable to getting infected by HPV. A pregnant woman with genital HPV can pass on the infection to her baby during delivery.

Treatment of HPV in Women

HPV can be detected with the help of a pap smear test and the HPV test. Pap smear test is used to determine if one is suffering from cervical cancer. Cervix abnormalities and presence of HPV can also be detected using this test. The HPV test is used to confirm the presence of HPV and determine the HPV type. Since HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, those who are sexually active people are at a risk of contracting this infection.

The best option is to prevent this infection by following certain precautionary measures. Make sure that you have safe sex. Though using condoms may lower the risk, HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom. So, indulge in sexual intercourse with only one partner who is faithful to you. Vaccines called Gardasil and Cervarix can also protect women against some HPV strains. Gardasil can be administered to those in the age group of 11 to 26. This is a preventive measure and has to be taken before a woman gets infected. Cervarix is another vaccine that prevents one from getting infected by two HPV types, HPV 16 and HPV 18.

As far as the treatment of genital warts is concerned, creams or acid medicines might be prescribed by the doctors. If these medicines don't help, surgery is recommended. Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), cryosurgery, electrocautery or laser treatments are generally recommended for the removal of small warts. LEEP involves the passing of an electric current through a special wire loop for wart removal. Under cryosurgery, liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the abnormal cells. Warts can also be removed by laser treatments or electrocautery. Though these methods might be useful in removing warts, warts can reappear whenever the immune system is compromised. High risk HPV are responsible for causing cervical cancer. An early diagnosis is very important for treating this condition. A condition caused by HPV called cervical dysplasia is the first stage towards the development of cervical cancer. Cervical dysplasia can be diagnosed using colposcopy. Cervical dysplasia treatment involves the use of laser or cone biopsy.

Since this infection puts you at an increased risk of developing serious conditions such as cervical cancer, take all preventive measures. If you experience any symptoms associated with this infection, consult a doctor soon. You must try to boost your immune system to prevent an outbreak.