You may be part of this statistic and not even know that you are! Despite the fact that 24 million Americans may have contracted the human papillomavirus (HPV), more than 76% of women living in the U.S.A., have yet to hear about what HPV is! The media has noticed this fact, and we now see more TV ads, and magazine ads proclaiming this astonishing statistic. What exactly does this statistic mean to you?

It is a scientific fact that there are over 60 types of HPV. The only visible symptom that you may have HPV is seeing or feeling genital warts. Not everyone who has HPV in their system will show this sign though, so you cannot trust that if you do not have genital warts, that you do not have HPV. Just having genital warts is no indication that you have an increased risk of having cervical cancer.

The types of HPV are numbered so scientists and medical personnel can keep track of them. These are the types that are associated with the appearance of genital warts: (HPV types 6, 11). The ones that have been linked to cervical cancer are HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and 35.These HPV high risk types have also been linked to anus, bladder and vulva cancers also.

The Connection between Genital Warts and HPV

You may not know you have the genital warts and therefore not be aware of the danger of having had contact with HPV and the possibility that you too have the virus in your body. The reason you may not know of the presence of your genital warts is that they are not always visible. They can be on the inside of genital areas like inside the anus, cervix, or vagina where you cannot see them.

Not knowing that you have the genital warts you could have HPV, pass it on to a sexual partner, and not even know that you are doing it. This is the scary part of HPV and the ramifications of having the virus and the possibility of also being exposed to cervical cancer and other cancers and passing that risk on to those you have sexual contact with.

Another reason why genital warts are difficult to detect is that they are flesh colored, so even if they are on a visible part of the genitals, you may miss seeing them on yourself or your partner because they are flesh colored. You may be able to feel them as they are soft and moist, but if you do feel them you may not pay attention to what you are feeling or notice enough to want to investigate what exactly you are feeling.

Genital warts are painless, so nothing is really going to alert you to their presence except for when and if they are detected by touch or visible detection. You, your partner or a medical professional may be able to detect the genital warts.