hpv vaccination and what constitutes 'sexual activity' - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Message Board

roryann · 11-07-2008, 07:52 AM

i understand it is important for teens having not had 'intercourse' before having their hpv vaccination, but no where do i see the issue of whether or not oral and/or anal sex have an impact

is the virus that we can all have after having intercourse contained only in the female private organs, as opposed to the bloodstream

andiesq70 · 11-07-2008, 02:34 PM

I'm a little confused what you are asking but think I understand what you are meaning, hopefully I am right. HPV can affect the genital areas; skin of the penis, vulva, anus, linings of the vagina, the cervix and the rectum. Also there has been a lot of news regarding oral cancer and connection to HPV, oral sex is not safe sex nor has it ever been. You get the virus from skin to skin----it does not have to be intercourse and condoms do not provide 100% protection.

roryann · 11-07-2008, 03:28 PM

thank you, you answered my question,

when my daughter went, all that was said was the very general, 'you can't have had intercourse to get the shot',

2/3's of the way thru getting them, we heard a special on the news about a horror hpv story of a 22 yr old local college girl claiming having the shot, had ruined her life

my daughter balked over the final shot, so i questioned a 22 yr old never having had any contact of some kind, but not necessarily 'intercourse' and noted that the nurse practitioner didn't really spell it out,

it seemed like it had to be vaginal intercourse but what if kids were getting the shots after oral or anal intercourse and not giving it a second thought, and it being an issue, especially since post clinton, oral sex isn't really sex!

we're about to get the third shot, so thank you very much

Pickle Eyes · 11-07-2008, 08:04 PM

High risk (or even low risk, I think) can affect the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, or mouth/throat. HPV is transmitted by skin to skin contact, not through body fluids.

If someone has had any sexual contact (manual stimulation, oral stimulation, anal stimulation, genital stimulation, any of those with or without penetration) then that is how one might have been exposed any/all strains of HPV.

From what I understand the vaccine can still offer protection, even if a young woman has had some sexual experience. The vaccine protects against 4 out of 20+ strains of HPV that affect the genitals (some cause warts, others can lead to cancer, worst case scenario).