My 19 year old daughter was just diagnosed 'high risk HPV.' We are absolutely devastated and frightened. My daughter assures me/the doctor/ and one and all that she is a virgin...no sexual contact whatsoever! How can this happen?!? Are there statistics on this? I fear we will now be battling depression too because she is afraid no one will believe that she never had sex. She was treated for warts on her hands a while ago and that doctor informed us that she gets warts and psoriasis because she has little or no immunity to that particular virus. Can these viruses be related? She had a colposcopy and we are about to return to ob/gyn for a follow up next week. I can not find any infomation beyond that HPV is sexually transmitted. Does anyone know anything additional?

Hi mandemmom,

Thanks for posting and I'm glad you found us. There isn't a great deal of information about non-sexual transmission of HPV to the genital area, but most experts with whom we're familiar do agree it happens. It's difficult to say just how likely or often this occurs - probably not rampant - but there are cases of anogenital HPV being detected in children, for example, in whom there is no evidence of sexual abuse.

So, yes it's possible but there's no way to be precise with any stats.

You can reassure your daughter on a number of issues. First, HPV infections are very common but seldom result in serious medical issues. In most cases, the body clears the virus naturally. It is important for her to return for follow-up exams as directed by her health care provider, though.

If there are any other issues here with which she's struggling, let us know and we'll be happy to address them. That goes for mom too!

Best,
Fredo

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Dear Fredo-
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your message gives us both peace of mind! Your information is soooo much better than what we got from the doctor. We will definately bring our questions here. Thank you again!

Well, my daughter will be having "HPV cells" removed next Tuesday. I am wondering if this is secret code for 'pre-cancerous cells.' She will be monitored every three months. The nurse practitioner asked if we wanted the gardicil shots. We are still on the fence about that. Is it safe? Is it a good idea?