When many women get the checklist that says “HPV positive”, they will definitely feel like the sky is falling, thinking that they are close to the door of cervical cancer and there is no hope for their life, so they would like to get treatment immediately to completely remove HPV virus from their body. So, is it true that cervical cancer is not far away after HPV infection? Actually not. Let’s get to know HPV together. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a huge family with more than 100 subtypes. Some of them live on the skin and mucous membranes of the human body, and some live in the oropharynx, anus and reproductive tract, and are a very common virus. There are so many members of HPV virus, are they all related to cervical cancer? Of course not, each of these small members can be said to have different tastes. The HPV virus is divided into two camps: low-risk and high-risk. low-risk types can cause condyloma acuminata, common warts, flat warts, perineural warts, filiform warts, plantar warts, etc. There are at least 13-16 types of HPV that can cause cancer, which are called high-risk HPV, such as HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, etc. 59, 68, etc. High-risk types are generally associated with precancerous lesions of the cervix or cervical cancer, rectal cancer, oral cancer, tonsil cancer, laryngeal cancer, intranasal cancer, esophageal cancer, vulvar cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, etc. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types is the basic cause of cervical precancer and cervical cancer. Among them, HPV subtypes 16 and 18 cause more than 70% of cervical cancer and are very high-risk subtypes. So these high-risk HPV types are the powerful players in the HPV family. As you can see, not all HPV viruses cause cervical cancer. When your lab test shows positive for HPV, it must depend on the specific type of positivity and cannot be generalized to say that it must be related to cervical cancer. When do women need to start HPV testing? Studies have shown that routine HPV screening is not recommended before the age of 30 because the possibility of transient infection is very high during the age of 20 to 30, not persistent infection, and there is no need to be overly concerned so as not to increase the burden on the mind. Before the age of 30, after having sex, screening with liquid-based cytology (TCT) should be performed every 1 to 2 years, and if the TCT result is normal, the next screening can be waited for; combined screening with HPV and TCT should be performed every 3 years. screening can be stopped for women aged 65 to 70 years who have had 3 or more consecutive cytology tests in the last 10 years without abnormalities. Can I have sex after being infected with HPV? Yes, but be careful how you do it. HPV attacks areas of the body that are weakly defended, such as the mucous membranes of the genital tract. Therefore, it is important to use a condom throughout sex to avoid mutual infection and reduce the probability of contracting HPV. Special attention should also be paid to avoid multiple sexual partners and unclean sex, which will significantly increase the probability of infection. HPV infection usually does not have obvious discomfort symptoms, so it is difficult to detect. What are the danger signs that a woman’s body should pay attention to? 1. Irregular vaginal bleeding. 2. Abnormal increase in vaginal discharge with fishy taste and blood. 3. Prolonged periods and increased menstrual flow. 4. Painful intercourse and bleeding. If you have the above symptoms, you should go to the hospital for HPV screening and other tests as soon as possible to clarify the possibility of cervical cancer. How to treat HPV infection? At present, there is no specific drug for HPV treatment, nor is it recommended to treat the carrier status of HPV virus, the treatment principle of HPV infection is: treat the disease, not the virus! Treatment is only needed if there are visible lesions (e.g., condyloma acuminata) or pathologically confirmed lesions occurring (e.g., cervical precancerous lesion CIN). If there is no visual or pathological confirmation of the lesion, there is no need to treat it at all. Pay attention to a healthy diet and lifestyle habits, and keep exercising to make your immune system stronger.