Resolved question:
Hi doctor, I am a 23 years old female. I used to have sex with my boyfriend and another partner. Both of these relationships were started about 3 years ago. I haven’t had sex with anyone except them. I heard that there is a chance of getting affected with cervical cancer, by having sex with affected partners. I am not sure about the HPV status of my partners. If anyone has got the infection, how long it will take to transmit the virus to me? I used to have unprotected sex at times. Also, how long it will take to catch cervical cancer? What are the chances of getting cervical cancer due to HPV infections? Please help.
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Thanks for your question and concern about HPV infection and associated ailments. It is worth noting that usually, HPV infections are harmless and just cause some warts which disappear by time. Body will gain immunity to prevent another outbreak of symptoms, once the warts disappear. But some types of infections are known to cause cervical cancer in females. This is not for sure and only a small percentage of females are affected with this. SO, it is difficult to say when cancer can occur. But genital warts will appear from about 2-12 months after getting infected with HPV. HPV infection can be prevented by taking vaccination of 3 doses once in 6 months. Once the course is completed, you will be protected for a lifetime. So, I strongly recommend you to have a vaccination. Cervical cancer and infection can be detected by a pap smear test. It is recommended to do pap smear test once in every year to rule out a possibility of cervical cancer. Hope my answer helps. Best of luck.