Question about HPV/guardasil...?

So, I've been seeing one guy for awhile now....
I just found out his Ex girlfriend got cervical cancer from HPV (that is how it works, right?..... thats just what I was told happened to her anyways.....)...
Meaning that he likely carries that virus as well.....
Meaning he could have already passed it on to me...

I have a doctors appt on Monday already.. I called them asking about STD testing and they said they will only test for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea (which doesn't help me much)... I've turned down the vaccine in the past because I've heard the risks outweigh the benefits, it's very expensive, and I'm often very sensitive to medications and vaccines.. Twice in my childhood I got what the vaccine was trying to prevent.. Chicken Pox and pertussis...Plus it's so new, I don't really trust it quite yet...

What are my options? Are STDs like pregnancy, where your not necessarily going to get something the first time? Or is it a much higher rate? There are only about 4 opportunities I could have picked it up... Any advice? I'm thinking that guardasil is a good idea BUT I'm still not sure about it mostly because of the side effects and lack of testing...

By "like pregnancy" .. I mean like, is it a sure thing your going to get it from someone that has it, or is it just a small chance?

I can give you some info that I recieved from my doctor. I do have HPV (at least one of the strains). There are different strains---some cause cervical cancer and some cause genital warts. It is a disease that is highly contaigious but it also goes in spurts. it will be dormant in your system and then you may have a period where it is active---but it usually clears itself before cancer can start. Clears itself does not mean that you no longer have it---it just means it is not active. My doctor told me it is the most common std there is because it is so highly contaigious and not to worry to much because cancer--although possible, which is why they warn you---is not as common as you might think.
Std's, it depends on your immune system somewhat as far as how suseptible you are to catch something. If your system is down you are more likely to catch something. Little things can affect it---getting enough sleep, exercise, the right foods etc.
You can ask for an HPV test, but if it is active then you should I believe have abnormal pap's and then they investigate that further and find it. My doctor told me there was no way to know how long I had it, because also that if the disease is not active---it won't show on a test. I am like you though with the vaccines-- I don't trust them because it is giving you a small dose of the disease and you do hear things later on about why it was bad etc, however if you are comfortable getting it then go for it---but keep in mind it does not protect from all strains (all cancer causing strains but not all) and even then it is not 100%.
Std's are easier to pick up than getting pregnant, yes because to become pregnant your body has to be ready to become pregnant---to catch a disease or illness it does not really have to be at a certain point in a cycle.

i would suggest that if your immune system is weak, i would love it for you to study on the product Immoncal and its from 25 yrs of studys on the human body, It deals with a Thing Called Glutathione and thats the Bodies Master AntiOxidant protection system.
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good luck and be careful HPV is nothing to play with hunny :( Law Professor

STD's are nothing like pregnancy and people shouldn't be taking chances with either. If you expressed to your doctor that you want to be tested for HPV and they wont, try your local planned parenthood or clinic. As long as the two of you are having protected sex with a condom I think your risk of getting it are pretty low. HPV is genital warts and I think you would know if either of you had it. As far as the guardasil, it's better to be safe than sorry. As I understand it, it doesn't prevent you from getting HPV, but does lower the risk of developing cervical cancer. Your doctor can discuss it in more detail and help you decide what is best for you.

You can have HPV and NOT have genital warts. There are different strains of it. The strain that causes cervical cancer does not give you gential warts. So, if you have the cancerous one, you will not have any symptoms at all.

It has been said that 1 out of every 5 women have HPV without even knowing it.

Use a condom with your man 100% of the time. If his last girlfriend carried that HPV virus and she did get cervical cancer from it, then that is the one thing that you do not need to be exposed to.

It's not a 'sure thing' but the risk is pretty high, especially for women. HPV is human papilloma virus - genital warts. It has been recognized as a cause of cervical cancer, but that doesn't mean everyone exposed to or carrying the virus will get cancer.

Many people have been infected and yet will have no symptoms, some will develop a wart, some will develop many warts. It often depends on your immune system status. If you have immune systems problems (AIDS, leukemia, etc) then you are more likely to have severe expression of the virus = many warts.

Guardasil is only recommended for women up to age 29 because if you don't get it by that age, chances are you already Have been exposed to various HPV strains (there are a LOT of them, but only 4 are linked to cervical cancer). There are currently studies being conducted to see if it will provide any benefit to older women. Otherwise, the vaccination has been shown to be quite safe and effective - I would recommend it to all young people. If you do not get the vaccine, chances are, you will eventually get the virus anyway, so if you are worried that the vaccine will give it to you, (which should never happen) it wouldn't matter anyway in the long run.

Use common sense. Use a condom. It's not 100%, but its the best thing going right now. You CAN also get HPV on other body parts, so oral or manual sexual contact can result in wart infection on lips, mouth, throat, hands, etc as well.