10 Common HPV Myths -- Busted!

How much do you really know about the cervical-cancer causing STD? (11 Photos)

Jill Provost on Oct 6, 2011 at 10:11AM

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10 Common HPV Myths -- Busted!

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Myth #1: Most People Won’t Get HPV



Fact: Human papillomaviruses (HPV) is the most common STD in the United States -- so common that 80 percent of all sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their life. While it’s true that the more partners you have, the more likely you are to pick up the STD, you can contract HPV during your very first sexual experience, whether you use a condom or not. In fact, 80 percent of people who’ve had as few as four sexual partners have been infected with the virus, according to Nancy Kiviat, M.D., Director of the Medicine Pathology HPV Group at the University of Washington. But most people never show symptoms and may never know they’ve had HPV. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 90 percent of cases will naturally clear the system within two years.

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