Preventing the Spread of HPV

[Angel]

With the recent attention being given to the dangers of human papillomavirus, including the link of some strains to cancer, preventing the spread of the disease has become increasingly important. Now, researchers say the simple use of a condom can reduce the risk of infection.

Previous studies indicated condoms offered little or no protection against HPV, but most data came from studies not designed to specifically evaluate the connection. Therefore, researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle set out to look directly at the relationship between condom use and the spread of HPV.

Female students who had never had intercourse or who had their first experience within the prior three months were asked to enroll in the study. A total of 210 women agreed to participate. The women kept a diary of their sexual behavior every two weeks and were questioned and tested for HPV every four months. In the end, 65 women not having intercourse, three women who did not complete their diary accurately, and 20 women who had intercourse more than two weeks before they enrolled in the study were eliminated.

After evaluating the data, researchers found condom use effectively reduces the risk of male-to-female genital HPV transmission. Women whose partners used condoms all the time were 70-percent less likely to acquire infection as compared to women whose partners used a condom less than 5 percent of the time. By using a condom half the time, women can reduce their risk of contracting the virus by 50 percent.

Researchers conclude, "The association [between condom use and HPV infection] was strong and increased with the increasing frequency of condom use, suggesting a causal, protective effect." They remind people HPV is transmissible through nonpenetrative sexual contact and, therefore, "consistent use" may not always mean 100 percent protection.