Early Sex Doesn't Predict HPV Infection
July 7, 2008 -- Teenage girls who are sexually active and those who are not eventually all have the same risk for infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), new research suggests.
The finding that early sexual activity is not predictive of future HPV infection suggests that using risk factors as a means of determining who should get vaccinated against HPV is not an effective strategy, researcher Amanda F. Dempsey, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan tells WebMD.
Most women become infected with at least one of the more than 100 HPV types soon after becoming sexually active, but the infection usually clears up on its own. When infection persists it can lead to cervical cancer and genital warts.
The HPV vaccine targets two HPV types that cause roughly 70% of cervical cancers and two other types responsible for almost all genital warts.
"In our study, all women who eventually became sexually active at some point had an equivalent risk of getting HPV," Dempsey says.
The HPV vaccine has been widely available for a little over a year. The CDC and the American Cancer Society agree that all girls between the ages of 11 and 12 should get the three-shot vaccination series.
But while CDC recommends vaccinating all women up to age 26 regardless of sexual history, the American Cancer Society recommends vaccinating all women younger than 18 and selectively vaccinating those between the ages of 19 and 26, based on sexual history.
The more sexual partners someone has had, the less likely the vaccine will be effective for lowering cervical cancer risk.
This and the fact that the vaccination series can cost uninsured women as much as $1,000 led to the recommendation, American Cancer Society Director of Breast and Cervical Cancer Debbie Saslow, PhD, tells WebMD.
"We never make recommendations based on cost alone, but we do consider cost-effectiveness," she says. "The vaccine just isn't cost-effective from a cancer standpoint for a woman in her 20s who has five or 10 sexual partners."
Dempsey counters that it is unlikely that a sexually active woman has been exposed to all four HPV types that the vaccine protects against, so denying her the vaccine based on her sexual past could jeopardize her health.
The finding that early sexual activity is not predictive of future HPV infection suggests that using risk factors as a means of determining who should get vaccinated against HPV is not an effective strategy, researcher Amanda F. Dempsey, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan tells WebMD.
Most women become infected with at least one of the more than 100 HPV types soon after becoming sexually active, but the infection usually clears up on its own. When infection persists it can lead to cervical cancer and genital warts.
The HPV vaccine targets two HPV types that cause roughly 70% of cervical cancers and two other types responsible for almost all genital warts.
"In our study, all women who eventually became sexually active at some point had an equivalent risk of getting HPV," Dempsey says.
HPV Vaccine Strategy
The HPV vaccine has been widely available for a little over a year. The CDC and the American Cancer Society agree that all girls between the ages of 11 and 12 should get the three-shot vaccination series.
But while CDC recommends vaccinating all women up to age 26 regardless of sexual history, the American Cancer Society recommends vaccinating all women younger than 18 and selectively vaccinating those between the ages of 19 and 26, based on sexual history.
The more sexual partners someone has had, the less likely the vaccine will be effective for lowering cervical cancer risk.
This and the fact that the vaccination series can cost uninsured women as much as $1,000 led to the recommendation, American Cancer Society Director of Breast and Cervical Cancer Debbie Saslow, PhD, tells WebMD.
"We never make recommendations based on cost alone, but we do consider cost-effectiveness," she says. "The vaccine just isn't cost-effective from a cancer standpoint for a woman in her 20s who has five or 10 sexual partners."
HPV Risk Examined
Dempsey counters that it is unlikely that a sexually active woman has been exposed to all four HPV types that the vaccine protects against, so denying her the vaccine based on her sexual past could jeopardize her health.
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