http://kinseyconfidential.org Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 2006-2007 aschweig@indiana.edu (Kinsey Confidential) aschweig@indiana.edu (Kinsey Confidential) posts 1440 Just another WordPress weblog Kinsey Confidential Kinsey Confidential aschweig@indiana.edu No no http://kinseyconfidential.org/wp-content/themes/kinsey/images/kinsey-podcast-300.jpg http://kinseyconfidential.org 144 144 http://kinseyconfidential.org/differences-hpv-hiv/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/differences-hpv-hiv/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:00:43 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://wfiutest.rtv.indiana.edu/qa-difference-hpv-hiv/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/differences-hpv-hiv/feed/ 0 3:26 Great question ndash; the fact that the acronyms HPV and HIV sound similar to each other is confusing for many people. Some people worry that they ... Great question ndash; the fact that the acronyms HPV and HIV sound similar to each other is confusing for many people. Some people worry that they are the same infection. Other times, people may worry that if they have one sexually transmissible infection, or STI, then theyrsquo;ll automatically get another STI. Neither of these are true. The letters HPV stand for the human papillomavirus while HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. They are two completely different viruses and there are important differences between them. HPV: The Human Papillomavirus Most sexually active people are exposed to HPV at some point in their lives; some estimates suggest that as many as 60 to 80% of American women and men will get at least one strain of HPV during their lives. Although HPV has been linked with serious health problems such as cervical cancer, penile cancer and oral cancers, most people who have HPV will not have any serious or life-threatening problems related to HPV infection. In fact, it seems that most peoplersquo;s bodies are able to clear signs of HPV infection with one or two years of getting HPV. That said, if you are diagnosed with HPV, you should follow your healthcare providerrsquo;s recommendation for follow-up care. For women who receive an abnormal Pap test related to HPV infection, this sometimes means having follow-up Pap tests every 3 or 6 months for a while or as recommended by onersquo;s healthcare provider. HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV ndash; on the other hand - is far less common in the United States although it is more common in some countries within sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Russia and China. HIV is often known as the virus that causes AIDS. When a person is infected with HIV, he or she typically requires much more frequent and specialized healthcare services than people with other STIs need. HIV, if it leads to AIDS and to serious opportunistic infections, can ultimately contribute to a personrsquo;s early death, so good healthcare is critical. Fortunately, given advances with testing and treatment for HIV, more people with HIV are living longer, healthy, productive lives. Learn More You can learn more about both HPV and HIV ndash; as well as testing and treating information for each ndash; on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Content,Type,,Health,,Disease,,Include,in,Resources,,Podcast,,Special aschweig@indiana.edu no No http://kinseyconfidential.org/gardasil-hpv-vaccine-human-papillomavirus/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/gardasil-hpv-vaccine-human-papillomavirus/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:14:30 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/2008/09/04/the-human-papillomavirus-hpv-and-its-vaccine/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/gardasil-hpv-vaccine-human-papillomavirus/feed/ 0 http://kinseyconfidential.org/living-with-genital-warts/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/living-with-genital-warts/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:39:04 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/2008/08/28/qa-i-have-genital-warts-and-hpv-how-do-i-ever-have-a-relationship-again/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/living-with-genital-warts/feed/ 0 3:50 Yoursquo;re absolutely right ndash; the ldquo;try not to get HPVrdquo; messages only go so far when you already have HPV. And guess what? Most sexually ... Yoursquo;re absolutely right ndash; the ldquo;try not to get HPVrdquo; messages only go so far when you already have HPV. And guess what? Most sexually active women and men have already had, or have been exposed to, HPV ndash; many just donrsquo;t know it. 60-80% of Sexually Active Women And Men Some studies suggest that as many as 60-80% of sexually active women and men have been exposed to at least one strain, making it by far the most common sexually transmissible infection, or STI. Most peoplersquo;s bodies donrsquo;t experience problems related to HPV, but some people do ndash; some women may develop cervical changes which show up in abnormal Pap tests, and some women and men both may develop genital warts. Usually, peoplesrsquo; immune systems kick in at some point and fight the viral infection. Fortunately, that means that most women who have cervical changes will get better and will not get cervical cancer. That also means that most women and men who have visible warts will generally get fewer genital warts, and fewer outbreaks of genital warts, over time. HPV And Genital Warts Though there are more than 100 strains of HPV, only a few that are linked to genital warts. Good for you for being sexually responsible and planning to tell future partners. You also might consider telling your present or past partners, if you havenrsquo;t already. HPV can be a frustrating issue for many women who are interested in men. Thatrsquo;s because right now, we donrsquo;t have any standard HPV testing available to men. As a result, many men think that they donrsquo;t have HPV when in fact they might ndash; they just canrsquo;t be tested for it. As such, women who know that they have HPV sometimes worry how men will react. Educating Future Partners When you tell your future potential partners about your genital warts, try to gently educate them about the issue and how, just because no one has ever told them that they have had HPV, doesnrsquo;t mean that they donrsquo;t have it or that they canrsquo;t get it. Researchers are working to develop better testing for men and hopefully that will help to open the dialogue about HPV among women and men. Although it may feel scary to talk about STIs with future relationship partners, itrsquo;s important to remember just how many women and men are affected by HPV ndash; and that in fact many women and men are kind, caring and accepting of the news that the person they like has an STI. F ar from your relationship or sex life potential being over, Irsquo;d encourage you to look at it as a challenge, or something that necessitates careful and open communication with a partner, but nothing that has to prevent you from having fulfilling relationships in the future. HPV Vaccine You also might ask your healthcare provider for more information about Gardasil, the HPV vaccine that protects against 4 strains of HPV, including those that are linked to cervical problems. Content,Type,,Health,,Disease,,Podcast aschweig@indiana.edu no No http://kinseyconfidential.org/pap-tests-hpv-information/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/pap-tests-hpv-information/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:28:59 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/2008/07/23/cdc-web-site-about-pap-tests-and-hpv/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/pap-tests-hpv-information/feed/ 0