Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Controlling Infection From HPV

December 9, 2007
Dear Mayo Clinic:
I have HPV. I have been monogamous, so my partner must be the transmitter. Are there any symptoms of HPV in the male? If he wore a condom regularly, would my chances of recurring abnormal Pap tests be minimized?

Answer:
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are common. More than 40 types of HPV can be transmitted during vaginal or anal intercourse. Consequently, most sexually active people have HPV at some time during their lives.

Many types of HPV have no symptoms. Women often are diagnosed as the result of an abnormal Pap smear, a routine cancer screening of the cervix. Some types of HPV may cause precancerous changes to the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus or penis. Other types of HPV cause genital warts.

Even though you've already contracted the infection, your partner should always wear a condom when you have sex. Using a condom regularly and correctly can help minimize your chance of further infection within your vagina and on your cervix, which can cause recurring abnormal Pap tests. Keep in mind, though, that the infection can be spread through other skin-to-skin contact. So, areas of your partner's genitals not covered by the condom can transmit the virus to you.

Regarding your question about male symptoms, HPV can cause genital warts on the penis, testicles or around the anus. These flat or cauliflower-like growths are not painful. Very infrequently, HPV in the male can cause cancer of the penis or anus, which can appear as a sore or thickening on the penis or bleeding or discharge from the anus. Most people who have an HPV infection can pass it to others even if no signs or symptoms are evident.

A vaccine is now available that can help protect females who are 26 or younger from four types of HPV: types 6 and 11, which cause 90 percent of genital warts, and types 16 and 18, which cause 70 percent of cervical cancer. Even if you have been previously infected with HPV, you may still benefit from the vaccine because it is unlikely that you have been infected by all four types of this virus. Research studies are under way to determine if this vaccine also could be effective for older women, as well as for the male population.

 Rosalina Abboud, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.