HPV infections cause hundreds of thousands of cancers every year. And although this common virus is particularly dangerous for women, men should also remember about proper prevention. How to protect yourself from HPV and is it worth getting vaccinated? Advice is provided by Izabela Ksyta, a midwife at NZOZ "Twój Lekarz".

The dangerous and common HPV virus is responsible for several types of cancer in both women (most often the cervix) and men. Fortunately, there is an effective method of prevention - a vaccine that protects against 70 percent of the types of HPV virus that cause cervical cancer. It also reduces the risk of developing cancers of the vagina, vulva, penis and anus.

Vaccination goes hand in hand with research

Vaccination is most effective in the period before sexual initiation. We can vaccinate children from the age of 9. However, the vaccine also protects women and men who have already started sexual contact. It should be remembered that vaccination is not recommended during pregnancy. Of course, vaccination does not replace regular cytological tests and taking care to avoid risk factors and vice versa. In Poland, HPV vaccinations are not reimbursed, but many cities and municipalities organize preventive campaigns or programs thanks to which we can get vaccinated for free.

The most important thing is prevention

The most important method of protection is prevention. Women and men should prevent themselves and others from becoming infected. One form of prevention is to avoid: early initiation of sexual life, a large number of temporary sexual partners, lack of proper personal hygiene, weakened immune system and vitamin A deficiency.

In prevention, solid sexual education is also important. Prevention also means taking care of your health, healthy eating and regular gynecological examinations, ultrasound, cytological examination and HPV DNA.

What else can cause HPV?

HPV infection can also lead to genital warts (difficult to treat wart-like changes in the reproductive organs) and troublesome intimate infections. The frequency of HPV infection decreases with age. Not every HPV infection causes cancer. Most of them are asymptomatic and are fought off by our immune system on their own. It is worth remembering that HPV infection does not cause symptoms until the disease occurs, which is why periodic tests are so important.

I encourage you to delve into the topic and make a fully informed decision about whether or not to get vaccinated, and what preventive measures to implement in your life. I also encourage you to seek knowledge from reliable sources.