7 women talk about their experiences with HPV
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection — most sexually active men and women will get at least one type of HPV in their lifetime — yet women still often feel stigmatized, scared, and confused by its diagnosis.
Here, seven women talk about their experiences.
- “I’m still unsure as to whether I have it, and still mildly scared and uneducated as to whether I will be able to have kids when the time comes”
I was diagnosed with HPV in senior year of college. The doctor said there were “pre-cancerous” cells. The mention of cancer to a 21-year-old is enough to scare you into pretty much whatever treatment the doctor suggests. A few months later I got a follow-up exam that again revealed abnormal cells. This doctor, an older male, said he was surprised that the previous doctor had me undergo cryotherapy. He said that was “outdated medicine” and assured me that HPV was nothing to worry about because “everyone in your age group has it.” He basically sent me on my way and said it would clear up on its on.
2. “My mom cried when I told her”
I’ve had HPV for two years. It’s something I completely forget about until someone mentions it in conversation and then I can’t help but feel weird about it, which is ridiculous, and I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but there are times when the knowledge that I have it makes me feel unclean in some way.
3. “My gyno was a man, and terrible, who basically told me that I would never be able to have sex again”
I was diagnosed with HPV at the age of 19 after the first time I had sex. I had a wart on my cervix that needed removal and then a biopsy. It was humiliating and traumatizing and I was incredibly depressed. It’s been comforting to know as I’ve gotten older that I was not the only one to go through this, and that I have been able to have sex again. I just want people to know it’s not something to be ashamed of, and your life is very, very much not over.
4. “My boyfriend said that he felt betrayed”
I did have HPV, but not the cervical cancer kind. The kind that requires you to just get two pap smears a year instead of the one, just to keep track of it. It had no symptoms and basically just existed.
I have asked my gyno whether I needed to share this information with sexual partners and was told it wasn’t necessary. Well, I did. It came up in conversation and I felt like I had to tell him. I was in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica and the boyfriend that had led me there was fuming. That shame and that dirty feeling — I was honestly worried I would have to find my way home by myself. It was very scary. It didn’t matter that this was one of the most common conditions out there for sexually active women or that I didn’t even seem to have it anymore.
5. “When the HPV vaccine came out, I asked my gynecologist if I should get it. Her response was, “You’re fine, that’s only for promiscuous girls.”
Years later, I came to find out that I had HPV and needed to get a colposcopy. Throughout the whole process — from the abnormal Pap to the procedure to the results — I was freaking out, mainly because I realized I don’t know enough about HPV. Two normal Paps later, I’m still a little bit on edge and terrified to hear “abnormal results” once again. The more I talk about it, the more I realize it’s more common than I thought it was, and the more I realize my experience has been the same experience many have had.
6. “HPV is super common, and women should talk about it”
I had some cancerous cells and needed to have them frozen off. I went through the procedure and am fine now, though I will need to have Pap smears every six months to make sure the cells don’t grow back.
All of this was really scary, but would have been a lot worse if it weren’t for the fact that tons of my friends had gone through the exact same thing. For some reason, having HPV, having abnormal Pap smears, and having cancerous cervical cells just isn’t something that women tend to talk about. I wish it was, because it happens a whole hell of a lot more than you’d think.
7. “I am not a person who’s had a lot of partners”
When I was diagnosed with the cervical cancer-related variety, despite having gotten all my Gardasil, I was pretty sure God was smiting me. I asked my doctor whether I needed to let people know, and her professional opinion was that it was akin to sitting someone down to tell them you’d had the flu and might’ve passed it to them. It took a couple years to get a normal Pap again, but I’m in the clear now.
For more information on HPV, click here. Article inspired from here
