There is no treatment for HPV, but most HPV infections are cleared by your body within two years and don’t cause any problems.
You’ll only need treatment if it develops into genital warts or causes changes to the cells in the cervix or, of course, if you get cancer.
You can significantly lower the risk of HPV by getting vaccinated and using a condom, but you can’t ever be totally protected
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Stelios Doumouchtsis said: “In England, girls and boys aged 12-13 years are routinely offered the first HPV vaccination when they’re in school year eight.
“The second dose is offered six to 24 months after the first dose.
“The vaccine is available, however, for anyone up to age 25 and offers lifelong protection against a number – although by no means all – strains of the virus. Therefore, there is no ultimate protection against HPV.
“As with STDs, condoms offer an additional level of defence although again, you should not consider yourself to be 100 percent protected.”
