HPV Symptoms You Should Be Aware Of

Written by Leslie K. Hughes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most commonly sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Nearly 80 million Americans have this type of infection with around 14 million new cases happening each year. 

However, most people who have HPV aren’t aware that they have it. That is because the majority of people who have contracted HPV don’t show any symptoms or issues with their health. 

This may sound great until you think about how that means that people may be unknowingly passing it to other people. That’s why it is important to get tested regularly to ensure that you aren’t putting others at risk.

Sameday Health makes that easy for you. We offer an entire panel of STD tests that make it easy for you to stay safe, and to keep others safe as well. 

Though not everyone shows symptoms of HPV, it is possible to experience signs that this infection exists in your body. 

Read below to see what symptoms are associated with HPV so you know when it’s time to get tested.

These Symptoms are Signs of HPV

The symptoms that men experience may be different from the symptoms that women experience, so we will discuss them separately. 

Women

The good news about HPV is that many times the body fights off the infection on its own and you will see no issues. 

However, there are many different types of HPV, so the likelihood of it fighting itself off depends on the type of HPV that you get. 

Some forms of HPV can cause genital warts that show up as flat lesions or small bumps. If you see any signs of this, schedule a test. 

While genital warts are not something you want to have to deal with, there are bigger concerns when it comes to HPV. 

If you leave your HPV untreated, you run the risk of developing cervical cancer as well as other types of cancer including vaginal, vulvar, throat, and anal cancers. Thus, it is very important to get tested regularly. A pap smear can test for HPV and determine if the cervix has any abnormal cells. If abnormal cells are detected early on, they can often be treated before they turn into cancer. 

Men

Men typically experience HPV symptoms in the form of genital warts as well. These may be found on the penis, scrotum, and anus. Some even experience warts on the back of the throat so if those appear, get tested. 

Health problems resulting from contracting HPV are less common in men than they are in women. The CDC cited stats from 2010-2014 that showed of the 41,000 HPV-related cancers that occur in the United States every year, nearly 24,000 of them are in women and about 17,000 of them are in men. 

For men, penile cancer, throat cancer, and anal cancer are the ones that can result from an untreated HPV infection. Throat cancer is the most common. 

Unfortunately, there are no approved tests that can be used to detect HPV in men. Thus, it is important to pay attention to any changes in your genital areas, as well as your throat, and see a doctor if there are signs that something is amiss. 

For women, HPV can’t be detected by a pap test, but a pap test can be used to determine whether a woman has abnormal cells in the cervix that may be precancerous. 

An HPV test, however, has the ability to determine whether a woman has one of the 100 different HPV strains that may lead to cancer. 

Vaccination

There is an HPV vaccination that is available for both men and women. 

Some doctors recommend that children between the ages of 11 and 12 get the vaccine to protect them from cancers later in life. 

According to the CDC, once you are past the age of 27, you may not opt to get the vaccine. This is only because people between the ages of 27 and 45 were likely already exposed to the infection. 

However, some people between these ages still opt to get the vaccine if it is recommended by their doctor to help them avoid risk for new HPV infection.