GYN Doctors serving patients in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk & Portsmouth
A Gynecology Specialists note:
Following is an important article that ran in the Virginian-Pilot about the HPV virus and the importance of vaccinating pre-teen/young girls and boys against it. Our GYN doctors agree that the HPV vaccine has a proven safety record and we recommend the vaccine for girls starting as young as 9 years old. It is important to note that we are not condoning early sexual activity; we are trying to prevent HPV’s ability to cause cervical cancer in women, cancer in the mouth and upper throat, head and neck cancers, and other cancers. We also recommend that boys get the vaccine through their pediatricians or family practitioners. Our GYN Clinic has administered the HPV vaccine to girls and teens since 2008. If you have any questions, please call our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221.
25 percent of men have cancer-linked HPV genital infections
By Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press – 1/22/2017
CHICAGO (AP) — The first national estimate suggests that nearly half of U.S. men have genital infections caused by a sexually transmitted virus and that 1 in 4 has strains linked with several cancers.
Most human papillomavirus infections cause no symptoms and most disappear without treatment. And most adults will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
But high-risk HPV can cause cancer in the mouth and upper throat, cervical cancer in women and other cancers. Less harmful strains can cause genital warts.
Vaccines can prevent infections but experts say vaccination rates in pre-teens and young adults are too low. High-risk HPV poses cancer risks to people who are infected and to their sexual partners, who can catch HPV even when the infections are silent.
The study "just underscores that you need to vaccinate boys as well as girls, " said Debbie Saslow, an HPV specialist at the American Cancer Society.
The new estimate comes from an analysis of a 2013-14 national health survey; nearly 2,000 men aged 18 to 59 were tested for HPV. Results were published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology . The researchers say it's the first published estimate for genital HPV infections in men. The 45 percent rate is higher than previously reported rates for women, said Dr. Jasmine Han, the lead author and a cancer specialist at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
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Please contact our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221 or by clicking here if you have any questions about the HPV vaccine.
About our GYN doctors
Our all-female practice covers a wide spectrum of gyn and health issues. Since 2004 each GYN doctor at Gynecology Specialists has been caring for women and teens in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Peninsula, Eastern Shore, Hampton Roads and North Carolina.
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