HPV Vaccine
Although there was much said about an HPV vaccine, it wasn’t until very recently that an HPV vaccine was granted approval by the FDA to be used in the treatment of HPV.
HPV is short for the Human Papilloma Virus which is regarded as a sexually transmitted disease. There are more and more cases of this virus occurring, and as more and more teenagers and preteens begin sexual lives at this early age, there is now more than ever a spread of this virus.
The main reason for this lying in the fact that HPV is contagious. This was a factor in trying to find a viable HPV vaccine. It had already been established that there was no cure as such for the HPV infection but a vaccine was still seen as a possibility.
So it was, that in June of 2006 the first ever HPV vaccine was approved by the FDA. This HPV vaccine is known by the name of Gardasil and for the time being at least is used as a vaccine to treat HPV in women.
Another vaccine which was awaiting on FDA approval as of the end of 2006 is called Cervarix and is also used as an HPV vaccine for women. An HPV vaccine for men has as yet to be established although Gardasil is being tested for use on men as well.
Studies for the HPV vaccine Gardasil shows that it is best if administered before the commencement of sexual relations. For this reason it has been recommended that this HPV vaccine be administered to girls as young as 9-12 years of age.
This is the ideal recommended time frame to administer the HPV vaccine, although the age delimitation is between 12-26 years. Within this age window a series of 3 Gardasil HPV vaccine doses will be administered.
Not unnaturally, the very young age at which the HPV vaccine is recommended be administered to women, is the cause for concern and contention among many people, parents of young girls especially. However there are always two sides to a story and both sides in this case have their good points.
On the one hand administering this HPV vaccine can prevent the onset of the HPV infection in sexually active young women. And on the other hand, parents are afraid that administering such a vaccine at such a young age could be sending the wrong message to the younger generations.
What truly complicates the entire issue is the fact that there is lobbying to make this HPV vaccine a mandatory one. This could in effect upset the apple cart as it is taking away the choice from the parent as to whether their child should receive the HPV vaccine or not.
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HPV Testing
HPV testing in many cases involves nothing more strenuous than a visual examination by your physician. This is due to the fact that most of the time an HPV infection would have made its presence known by displaying signs and symptoms such as that of genital warts, or pink or flesh colored lesions.
If a visual examination yields no results then your physician will move on to the next step in HPV testing which involves the usage of acetic acid. The physician will daub some acetic acid (that’s vinegar to you and I), on the suspected area.
If there are any warts in the region they will turn up as white patches against the skin. If this doesn’t work, sometimes a swab of the area will be taken and sent for HPV testing.
Other HPV testing methods includes that of a cervical smear test. In this test a speculum is placed into the vagina, where it will be used to open the vagina. A swab of cell samples is then taken of the vaginal walls and sent in for testing.
If a woman has genital HPV it is then recommended that she come in for regular cervical smear tests about every three months. This added precaution of frequent HPV testing is undertaken until there is an improvement in the condition.
This sort of regular HPV testing needs to be carried out as genital HPV if left untreated can lead to abnormal cell development on the walls of the cervix which in turn can lead to cancer of the cervix.
Another HPV testing method is that of colposcopy. In this HPV testing method, the walls of the vagina and the cervix are “painted” with a vinegar solution. The vagina is then viewed through an instrument called a colposcope to detect any abnormalities.
If at this time a difference in shading is detected, a specially prepared dye is then applied in a small patch to the affected area. If there are areas on the cervix or the vaginal walls which don’t take on the dye, a small cell sample is then taken for further HPV testing.
To obtain the maximum results from your HPV testing there are few things that you can do, or not do, as the case may be.
These include, not douching as this can wash away any necessary evidence of HPV, not using any vaginal medications or herbal suppositories, and not using a tampon. You might also want to avoid going in for HPV testing if you have menstrual bleeding.
These can all of them to a great degree interfere with your HPV testing, and yield improper results. In some cases you might even need to carry out the examination again.
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HPV Symptoms
The Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV for short, comes in few different forms. These include, Plantar Warts, Common Warts, Flat Warts and Genital Warts. HPV symptoms for each of these vary to a great degree, but there will be similarities.
If an infected person displays any HPV symptoms they should seek medical help. HPV is a highly infectious virus and can spread very rapidly. There is also the little known fact that although HPV symptoms can be treated, the actual HPV virus cannot be cured.
Instead, the HPV infected person will have to fight the virus internally. In other words the person’s immune system will need to fight the good fight. Unfortunately this fight can sometimes take a few years to become a victory for the immune system.
Until then a person can, and in most cases will, display HPV symptoms and signs. There are of course exceptions to this rule and some people can go around with the HPV virus for a few years and not display any HPV symptoms at all.
For the most part HPV symptoms will manifest themselves in the form of warts. However in some cases there will be no physical manifestation of the HPV symptoms.
HPV symptoms include, but are not limited to the following symptoms. Pink, or flesh colored lesions, single or multiple instances of warts, moisture of the affected area, itching of the affected areas or a burning sensation.
Conversely even if a person displays HPV symptoms in the form of warts this doesn’t mean that they will experience any discomfort. They might display a wart or multiple warts, but other accompanying HPV symptoms will not be present.
Depending on the type of HPV, some people also experience an intense pain in the area of the wart. Warts, as part of HPV symptoms can also vary in appearance. They can be small, large, raised lesions, or flat ones.
They can also be singular or spread to multiple warts, if this happens, and in the same place, the warts can also take on a cauliflower-like appearance. Although the HPV infection itself can’t be cured, the HPV symptoms can be cured or removed.
There are many methods to accomplish this task, with some of the most popular methods being those of a surgical nature. Other methods include the use of natural medications and in some cases home remedies or folk remedies which are also used to cure HPV symptoms.
Also available are over-the-counter remedies which are available to cure HPV symptoms, but these should be avoided at all costs if a person suffers from genital warts. This is due to the nature of the medications which are too strong to use in the sensitive genital area.
Instead prescription medications will need to be used in order to get rid of the HPV symptoms. Which one is chosen will depend on personal preference, the type of HPV infection and also the overall health of the patient.
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