HPV Support Group

There are well over a hundred strains of HPV, some are high risk, some low. High risk HPV shows no signs or symptms, except possibly an abnormal pap. Your doctor took a DNA sample while doing the pap and you tested positive for HPV. It is not at all unusual for people to have more than one strain at a time. Your body will usually clear most if not all of them over a period of time. Your doctor is taking a "watch and wait" approach which is protocol so going every six months is completely normal.
What you can do to rid your body of the virus is to boost your immune system by not smoking (this is the biggest precursor to cancer when you have high risk HPV), eating healthy and taking supportive vitamins (folic acid, vitamins A,B and C and echinechea). You can also take a supplement called indole3-carbinole with has been clinically proven to reverse the effects of the virus and eliminate it altogether over a period of three months. It is made from cruciferous veggies like broccali and cauliflower. If you don't want to take that supplement, at least incorporate those veggies into your diet on a regular basis. Also, reduce any stress you might have in your life as that can depress your immune system.

Everything wachit said is true, however, there is someone that I want you to check with your doctor. It is my understanding that in clinical DNA testing from a PAP smear, that they to do NOT know which strain or how many strains you have. They test for the 13 strains known to be high risk. 16 and 18 are the most common and most worrisome,and the ones the vaccine can protect you from, although they usually resolve also. I believe they are just letting you know that you tested postiive to one or more of the strains they test for. I don't think they are saying that you have 13 strains. I Think they test for all the known high risk strains, and the test simply shows whether you tested positive for any of them. Please check this out with your doctor. This is what my OB/GYN explained to me when I tested postitive for HPV.

I had a typo in the first sentence above.....I meant to say that there is "something" I want you to check out with your doctor, not "someone" :).....I am sure you could have figured that out yourself...but information in regard to HPV is confusing enough, without typos.

Thank you very much for your message back, its just what i need some support and answers. I do have another question though I did smoke and stopped straight away but I am using the patch is that good for me do you know.
Many Thanks again

Quitting smoking is absolutely essential when you are fighting HPV. It is also important to always use condoms if you have a sexual partner who smokes. The semen of men who smoke is very dangerous to the cervix when infected with the HPV virus. Although condoms are only partially protective against the virus itself, because it is contracted through skin to skin contact, keeping the semen of a smoker away from the cevix is nearly 100 percent with condoms. If the patch helps you quit smoking then then it is certainly worth any risk. I have never read that the patch would create the same immune issues as cigarettes. But, in any case, you will not have to use it indefinately and it absolutely beats smoking. Just use the immune system helpers that wachit suggested. There are many other recommendations in that regard on this site.

Thanks again dancinblond

I was recently diagnosed with high risk HPV earlier this year and found the information from wachit and dancinblond very helpful (thank you). I am not a smoker but my partner is and i had no idea that his smoking could be hurting me! thank you for all the support and stay strong!