subject: I Heard That I Can Pass Hpv To My Unborn Child. Is This True? [print this page] Technically, yes it is true that you can pass HPV to your unborn child. It is believed that an infant can acquire HPV from the skin to skin contact that occurs during the birthing process; because the very nature of childbirth is conducive to the development of skin tears for mother and child, the environment is in many ways ideal for the transmission of the virus.
So what does this mean for you and your child? Usually, not very much. It can result in the transmission of a sexually transmittable strain of the disease, and this may cause some skin lesions like tiny warts on the infant. Or more likely, it will never show at all. Since most strains simply leave the human body and clear up on their own after several months, there is no cause for concern.
Even if you are aware that you are carrying the HPV virus, there is no way to know whether you have transmitted it to your child during childbirth. There is no blood test, or skin test with which your baby's doctor can check for the presence of the HPV infection.
It is also technically possible that this infection could someday lead to another complication for your child such as cervical cancer. However, as serious as cervical cancer is for many women who get it every year, it is entirely possible to detect it early with yearly PAP tests during a pelvic exam. Discovering this type of cancer early offers an excellent opportunity for successful treatment and cure.
The best thing you can do for your child is to educate them about HPV as soon as they are old enough to engage in any possible sexual contact - even oral sex. Make certain that your daughter is receiving annual pelvic exams and a PAP test as soon as she becomes sexually active. Ask your child's doctor about the vaccines available to protect sexually active women from HPV infection. These vaccines protect against the strains specifically should by research to be responsible for 70% of all cervical cancers. It is becoming more and more common for physicians to give these vaccines to young women as soon as they become sexually active.
Helping your child understand the realities of HPV infection, how it is transmitted, and how to protect themselves, is the most important thing you can do as a parent to help him or her live a healthy life. Like other sexually-transmitted diseases, keeping oneself safe from HPV transmission involves practicing safe sex every time. Help your child to understand exactly what constitutes safe sex - whether it is condom use, or abstinence - , to understand that sexual contact includes oral sex, anal sex and heavy petting in addition to actual intercourse, and to understand why protecting oneself from HPV is important. See that your child receives the proper attention during yearly exams, if he or she is sexually active. Doing all these things can help you ensure that your child lives a healthy, happy life in years to come.
by: Michelle Anderson
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