Dr. Jen Gunter
STDs
HPV vaccine almost eliminates genital warts for young women, new study
While the HPV vaccine is an important weapon against cervical cancer, one of the vaccines (Gardasil) also provides coverage against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause genital warts. As this vaccine targets 4 types of HPV (16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer as well as 6 and 11) it is called a quadrivalent … Continue reading
Understanding blood tests for herpes
There is a lot of misinformation about herpes, both among health providers and the general public. When I lecture at a medical conferences about herpes I hear, “I didn’t know that,” all the time. I know people want more information, because I posted a piece in 2011 on the difference between type 1 and type … Continue reading
Abortion, health care, HPV, chronic pain: what I’ve learned from my most popular posts of 2012
I published 97 posts in 2012 and during the year my blog was viewed approximately 970,000 times. I’m humbled that anyone took the time to read anything that I wrote. Some posts were read by a couple of hundred people and some posts by a couple of hundred thousand. I don’t think the writing on … Continue reading
20% of kids in grade 9 have had oral sex or why your pre-teen should be vaccinated against HPV
Initiating the vaccine series for the human papilloma virus (HPV) by age 11 or 12 is recommended, although many parents balk at a vaccine to prevent a sexually transmitted virus at this tenderly perceived age because, “12 year olds shouldn’t be having sex” or better yet, “My 12-year-old won’t be having sex.” (Just to recap, HPV … Continue reading
How common is HPV in the mouth and can you get it by kissing?
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the virus that causes most cervical, vaginal, and anal cancers. It also causes cancer of the vulva, and penis. More recently, HPV has been identified as an increasing cause of head and neck cancers, especially for men. From 1984 to 2004 the percentage of head and neck cancers related to … Continue reading
The mainstream media perpetuates HPV vaccine mythology
If there’s a whiff of a story about vaccine safety or controversy, expect the major media outlets to be on it like buzzards on carrion. Michele Bachmann spouts anti-vaccine crap and it’s a headline. Everywhere. Rick Perry back peddles over his HPV vaccine policy in Texas and it’s discussed for days. The war cry of … Continue reading
HPV vaccine does not increase risky sexual behavior (new study)
The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine is mired in controversy, or at least it is in the United States where there is a fearful undercurrent about sex and sexuality. (HPV is the virus that causes genital warts and cervical, vaginal, anal, and many head and neck cancers). When the HPV vaccine became available the religious right … Continue reading
How many sex partners did you have this year? And does it matter?
It’s time for one of the those end-of-the-year-reflection kind of posts. You know, did you make your New Year’s resolution, what did you learn most from this year, blah, blah, blah. Well, this being a blog about a lot of sex-related things (oh, who am I kidding, it’s mostly a blog about sex) I thought … Continue reading
How many sex partners do people really have?
What do you think is high number of sexual partners? Two? Eight? Not being able to count on your fingers and toes? We talk a lot about the number of sex partners in the world of STDs, because sexually transmitted infections are a numbers game. The more partners you have, the more potential exposures. And … Continue reading
HPV is more cancer causing than cigarettes
Infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) is the cause of almost all cervical cancers. There are specific strains of HPV that are cancer causing, most notably HPV 16 and 18. But what is the risk of getting cancer from HPV? Here are some eye-opening stats. HPV 16 and 18 are more cancer causing than cigarettes. … Continue reading
