75% of sexually active women get HPV

My best friend has just contracted HPV from her last boyfriend. She has told me how common it is, and it has made me concerned that I could also have it. How is it contracted, and what happens if I do have it? Is it treatable?

HPV (human papilloma virus) is the gift that keeps on giving. It is a sexually transmitted infection that is contracted by more than 75% of sexually active women at some stage during their life. Most people (it affects men too) never experience any symptoms, but, as carriers, they unknowingly pass the virus on to their unsuspecting sexual partners.

Often, women only find out that they have been infected when the virus is picked up during cervical screening. For women who are in monogamous relationships, a diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) can raise obvious concerns about infidelity, however HPV can lie dormant for years so a positive smear is not necessarily a reliable indication that a partner has been unfaithful.