Use Condoms to Prevent HIV, STDS and HPV Infection

Condoms are a great way to prevent HIV, STDs and HPV infection. Take time to learn about condoms and make them a part of your regular sexual practices. It's also a great time to learn how the HPV virus affects men.

"Condoms are a safe, effective, and inexpensive way for people to have safer sex" says American Sexual Health Association(ASHA) president and CEO Lynn Barclay. She notes there's a great deal people don't know about condoms: "Strict quality control is a part of the manufacturing process, so ASHA uses National Condom Month to set the record straight. Bottom line: correct, consistent condom use is a great, accessible way to prevent both sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy."

In the U.S. each year there are nearly 20 million new cases of STIs, about half of which are in teen-agers and young adults. STIs often have no symptoms, which is why using condoms is important each time someone has sex.

"Numerous studies how shown the value of condoms in reducing transmission risks with a host of STIs, including HIV, HPV, and chlamydia," said Barclay. "Using condoms is one of the smartest and simplest things we can do to protect our bodies."

What Guys Should Know About HPV

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is a viral infection that can be spread from one person to another person through anal, vaginal, or oral sex, or through other close skin-to-skin touching during sexual activity. If you are sexually active you can get HPV, and nearly all sexually active people get infected with HPV at some point in their lives. You can get HPV by having sex with someone who is infected with HPV.

HPV can be spread even when an infected person has no visible signs or symptoms. Most of the time HPV infections completely go away and don't cause any health problems. However, if an infection does not go away on its own, it is possible to develop HPV symptoms months or years after getting infected. This makes it hard to know exactly when you became infected. Lasting HPV infection can cause genital warts or certain kinds of cancer.

Most men who get HPV never develop symptoms and the infection usually goes away completely by itself. However, if HPV does not go away, it can cause genital warts or certain kinds of cancer. Contact the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective if you have questions about anything new or unusual such as warts, or unusual growths, lumps, or sores on your penis, scrotum, anus, mouth, or throat.

Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area around the penis or the anus. These warts might be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. The warts may go away, or stay the same, or grow in size or number. Usually, a healthcare provider can diagnose genital warts simply by looking at them. Genital warts can come back, even after treatment. The types of HPV that cause warts do not cause cancer.

Is there a�test for HPV? No, there is currently no approved test for HPV in men. Routine testing (also called 'screening') to check for HPV or HPV-related disease before there are signs or symptom, is not recommended by the CDC for anal, penile, or throat cancers in men in the United States. However, some healthcare providers do offer anal Pap tests to men who may be at increased risk for anal cancer, including men with HIV or men who receive anal sex.

If you have symptoms and are concerned about cancer, please contact the Health Collective for an appointment. There is no specific treatment for HPV, but there are treatments for health problems caused by HPV. External Genital warts can be treated by us, or with prescription medication. HPV-related cancers are more treatable when diagnosed and treated promptly.

If you need condoms or HPV testing at the Monday and Thursday evening clinics, contact the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective at 860-278-4163 or visit https://www.hglhc.org.