You, Me and HPV 💉 | 'I’d been told I had human papillomavirus (HPV) and abnormal cells after my first cervical cancer screening aged 25. I didn’t know who to talk to about it.'
My stomach dropped and my eyes watered as I looked away from the screen that was broadcasting my cervix for a room of medics and myself to see – then I felt a sharp cut.
It involved the use of a camera and special liquid to turn any abnormal cells white so they were easier to spot. I told myself I wouldn’t look at the screen, but, curiosity got the better of me – and it was nearly all white.HPV is the name for a very common group of viruses that are in most cases unproblematic, but can develop into greater issues such as cancer.
Why there wasn’t a standard diagram for patients to see, I have no clue, but I got lucky; my practitioner was kind enough to go over our allotted time to explain it all because without that, I’d have left completely uneducated on what was happening to my own body – which, I now know, is how many people leave a colposcopy and HPV diagnosis.
Trans men aren’t invited to screenings; it’s seen as a women’s issue – even though men are getting HPV derived cancers; women are being told they can’t be helped when they have abnormal bleeding; and some experts don’t believe the current cervical cancer screening process is up to scratch. The truth is, HPV is so common and most people won’t have complications, but the shame and confusion around this virus means we often don’t get the information we need.Anecdotally, the common theme among friends is they didn’t feel clear on what to do after contracting HPV. Do they tell their partners? Should they be worried? Should they change aspects of their lifestyle? Can they still have sex?
We’re forgetting about women over the age of 28 who won’t have been offered the vaccine, men who joined the programme late, doctors who believe extending to five years between cervical screenings is too long, the fact the vaccine doesn’t protect against all 100+ strains of HPV, nor is it lifelong protection… and the list goes on.
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