\n
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAlthough most of us will be exposed human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in our lives, it remains widely misunderstood.<\/p>\n
Receiving a positive HPV result can be worrying and confusing, yet the link between HPV and cervical cancer is more nuanced than many people realise.<\/p>\n
We spoke to Miss Adeola Olaitan, consultant gynaecological oncologist at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, who explained what HPV is, how it relates to cervical cancer and addressed some common myths around this topic.<\/p>\n
What is HPV?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cHPV is a family of viruses that infect the skin and the mucosal tissue,\u201d explains Olaitan. \u201cThere are different subtypes of HPV which are denoted by numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can get HPV from any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, vaginal, anal or oral sex or through sharing sex toys, according to the NHS website.<\/p>\n
Most of the time HPV does not cause any problems, highlights the gynaecological oncologist.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn most cases, HPV is a transient, harmless condition, and most people clear it without even knowing that they had it,\u201d says Olaitan. \u201cIt will usually clear naturally within two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is the biggest misconception about HPV?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI think the biggest misconception about HPV is the stigma surrounding it,\u201d says Olaitan. \u201cBecause it\u2019s a sexually associated infection, people think it has connotations of promiscuity, which it doesn\u2019t. You can have sex once and get HPV.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which types of HPV can increase your risk of cervical cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\nThere are over 200 types of HPV, according to The Eve Appeal, and they are split into two groups: low-risk HPV and high-risk HPV.<\/p>\n
Around 14 types of HPV are considered high risk for cervical cancer and two of these types (HPV 16 and HPV 18) cause about 70 out of 100 (70%) of all cervical cancer cases, according to Cancer Research UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cHPV 16 and HPV 18 can infect the cervix, and if the infection persists then they can increase the risk of cervical cancer,\u201d explains Olaitan.<\/p>\n
How can you find out if you have HPV?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThere are usually no symptoms of HPV, so if you don\u2019t go to a cervical cancer screening, you won\u2019t know you have it,\u201d says Olaitan. \u201cThe knowledge of whether you have HPV or not is only important because it marks people out as having a greater risk of having abnormal cells, which if left undetected or untreated can increase the risk of cervical cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone with a cervix should be invited for screening by the NHS every five years from the age 25 to 64, according to the NHS website. It also states that during the screening appointment, a small sample of cells is taken from your cervix and the sample is checked for high-risk HPV types that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the initial screening finds high-risk HPV, a reflex cytology test would be conducted on the same sample to look for abnormal cells,\u201d explains Olaitan. \u201cIf that finds no abnormal cells, you will be told to come back for a screening at a shorter interval. However, if abnormal cells are found you will be referred for a colposcopy to have a closer look at the cervix.\u201d<\/p>\n
Can protect yourself against HPV?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThe HPV vaccine is very effective at protecting people against HPV,\u201d says Olaitan. \u201cIt\u2019s typically given to children between the ages of 11 and 13 and is licensed to the age of 45, but it\u2019s less effective the older you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you can have it even if you\u2019ve been exposed to HPV or you have a current HPV infection, and it gives immunity that\u2019s stronger and longer lasting than natural immunity alone. So, it\u2019s still good to have it, but it\u2019s better to have it when you\u2019re young.\u201d<\/p>\n
What are some symptoms of cervical cancer to look out for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThe most common symptoms of cervical cancer are bleeding after sex, bleeding in between periods, bleeding after the menopause, or an offensive, persistent vagina discharge,\u201d highlights Olaitan. \u201cMost of the time these symptoms are indicative of benign conditions, but it\u2019s important that they\u2019re not ignored and that you go and get them checked to exclude anything more serious going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most important thing people should know about HPV and cervical cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cRemember that cervical cancer is preventable, and people who go for regular screenings are unlikely to get cancer,\u201d says Olaitan. \u201cScreening and being vaccinated are two of the most important things you can do for your health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Although most of us will be exposed human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in our lives, it remains widely misunderstood. Receiving a positive HPV result can be worrying and confusing, yet the link between HPV and cervical cancer is more nuanced than many people realise. We spoke to Miss Adeola Olaitan, consultant gynaecological oncologist at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, who explained what HPV is, how it relates to cervical cancer and addressed some common myths around this topic. What is HPV? \u201cHPV is a family of viruses that infect the skin and the mucosal tissue,\u201d explains Olaitan. \u201cThere are different subtypes of HPV which are denoted by numbers.\u201d You can get HPV from any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, vaginal, anal or oral sex or through sharing sex toys, according to the NHS website. Most of the time HPV does not cause any problems, highlights the gynaecological oncologist. \u201cIn most cases, HPV is a transient, harmless condition, and most people clear it without even knowing th…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10044"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2025\/12\/24\/09\/18115101-27f6c6ea-a731-46c5-8724-b7f8ddce3c65.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2\")
<\/p>\n