Have you had human papilloma virus (HPV) or think you may have contracted it at some stage? HPV is the most common type of sexually transmitted disease (STD). It usually causes no symptoms and, in most cases, goes away on its own. However, there are different types of HPV and some of them linger and can cause certain types of cancer. These are known as the high-risk HPV types. This link between HPV and cancer is the most important reason to get help from a medical professional if you contract any type of STD. If you’ve had HPV, or think that you might, then here’s what you need to know about HPV-related cancers.
HPV is a very common virus, and most of the time, it doesn’t cause symptoms, which is why people don’t always know that they have it. This is partly why HPV usually isn’t a big problem for your health. With most types of HPV, your immune system will clear it in around 2 years even without medical intervention. However, there are exceptions.
There are 13 types of high-risk HPV that can put you at higher risk of certain types of cancer. When high-risk HPV remains in your body, it can infect cells in certain parts of the body and cause precancerous cells to grow. If these cells aren’t removed, then they can develop into cancer. The places where HPV-related cancers can grow are the:
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer linked to HPV in women, and in fact, almost all cervical cancers are linked to the virus. The most common cancers related to HPV in men are in the mouth and the throat.
Obviously, not everyone is going to experience HPV-related cancers after having HPV. However, HPV is a very common STD and is easily passed from one person to another. It’s passed through contact between infected skin, usually the skin of the penis, mouth, anus, vagina or vulva, which is why it’s commonly passed along through sexual contact.
HPV is often symptomless, which also helps with transmission and means that almost everyone who has had sexual contact with other people is at risk of HPV and the related cancers.
HPV can infect men and women equally, but men who have sex with other men or who have HIV are at higher risk of persistent HPV infections, putting them at risk of cancers.
The only way to really avoid contracting HPV is to never have sex. But if that isn’t an option, then you need to focus on protecting yourself against this virus and the related cancers.
The best way to prevent HPV-related cancers is to protect yourself against the HPV virus itself. Here are some of the best ways to do that:
You should always use protection when you have sex unless you’re in a committed, monogamous relationship and everyone has been tested for STDs. Using condoms during vaginal and anal sex will help protect everyone from HPVs during penetrative sex and oral sex.
However, condoms don’t prevent HPV as well as they prevent other STDs as there is still plenty of exposed skin. So, you will need to do more than use protection to prevent HPV infection.
Medical research has shown that tobacco can increase your risk of HPV-related cancers. So, if you smoke or chew tobacco, consider quitting.
If you’re really concerned about HPV, then you can get the HPV vaccine. In men, HPV vaccines can help protect you against HPV types that cause anal cancer as well as those that cause genital warts. These vaccines can also help protect women against vaginal, anal, and vulvar cancers caused by HPV.
HPV vaccines need to be given early, preferably before engaging in any type of sexual activity. Medical researchers have recommended the vaccine for girls and boys aged as young as 9, though it’s usually given between the ages of 11 and 12. It can also be given to older men and women.
If you’re sexually active or are planning to be, talk to your doctor about whether the vaccine is right for you.
If you have symptoms or believe that you’re at risk of HPV-related cancers, then you need to see your doctor immediately. The earlier you get help with this condition, the better your outcome will be.
When you go to your doctor, you will usually have to undergo testing that includes a physical exam or biopsy to determine the presence of any cancerous cells. There is also a HPV test that can find high-risk HPVs on the cervix. However, at this stage, there is no test to find high-risk HPV in any other part of the body, so make sure you have ongoing exams so that any changes can be found early.
HPV can severely impact adrenal fatigue and vice versa. Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is caused by ongoing stress, which overworks the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response. The NEM stress response evolved to help you survive stressful situations. During stressful situations, it activates and uses cortisol to change how your organs and systems function to better escape or fight a stressor. Once the stressful situation is over, the NEM stress response shuts down, cortisol levels go back to normal, and the functioning of your organs go back to normal as well.
However, when the NEM stress response remains active over the long term, perhaps even permanently, AFS develops. This is because the modern world is filled with low-level stressors such as work pressures, relationship problems, environmental issues, and other factors. As a result, the NEM stress response does not have the opportunity to shut down and rest, and instead can remain active over the long term.
Over time, your body's ability to produce needed hormones like cortisol declines, bringing on AFS. This will cause imbalances and malfunctions in the body’s six circuits, composed of related organs and systems, as well as ongoing and worsening health problems.
Infections such as HPV cause stress, which will further increase your overall stress levels, bringing on or exacerbating AFS. AFS can also cause health issues that make it harder for your body to fight off infections such as HPV. This will make it more likely for you to experience ongoing HPV infections as well as associated problems.
The Hormone Circuit includes the adrenal glands, so it’s often one of the first circuits to experience imbalances when you have AFS. The other two components of this circuit are the reproductive system and the thyroid, and these three components are tightly interconnected. So, as the adrenal glands develop problems, the other two components follow, causing worsening symptoms and health problems. These symptoms increase your stress and inflammation levels, worsening adrenal fatigue.
AFS may make it more difficult for your body to fight off any infections, including HPV, making you more susceptible to long-term damage from the infection. Likewise, AFS causes the health and functioning of the reproductive organs to decline. This will make it more dangerous for you if you contract one of the high-risk HPV types. The poor health of your reproductive organs and related hormone imbalances may put you at a higher risk of suffering from more serious and long-term consequences from high-risk HPV infections.
This is why, if you have AFS, you need to be even more diligent about your health than usual. Make sure you go in for testing regularly to detect any problems early and, if you have any symptoms, talk to your doctor as soon as possible to avoid negative outcomes.
HPV-related cancers are more common than most people believe. Thanks to testing and medical research, they’re also fairly easy to avoid these days. If you want to protect yourself against this type of cancer and the resulting health issues, then here’s what to do:
For more help with reproductive health and stress-related hormone imbalances, talk to our team on +1 (626) 571-1234 or click here.
HPV-related cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. This STD doesn’t always cause symptoms but it can cause health problems that last a lifetime, so you need to take steps to prevent it early.
