You are head over heels in love with your partner, and you want to give the best possible pleasure she/he deserves.

But, your girlfriend / boyfriend has HPV.

So is it okay to go down on your loved one — or should you just say no?

How can you help your partner with HPV, and how do you protect yourself?

HPV Transmission Through Sexual Activities

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is among the most common infections transmitted through sex, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated about 14 million people become newly infected each year, so it is not something that a person should be ashamed of.

HPV can be passed on through genital contact, with the most common instance is during anal and vaginal sex. As HPV often does not cause any symptom, most women and men can get HPV then pass this on to their partners without even realizing it.
 
 
There are intimate moments when you get really enthusiastic and want to give your partner the world.

You may be eager to try the tricks to go down on her after reading this top rated book …

 
… or you just wanna try these tips to go down on him and please your man.

 
 
As you work slowly down your partner, some thoughts may flash into your mind:

“My Girlfriend / Boyfriend has HPV, Can I Go Down on Her / Him?”

“Can I get HPV from giving oral?”
 
 
Studies show non-penetrative sexual behavior can cause genital/oral related HPV transmission.

In addition to sexual intercourse, HPV can be spread through other forms of skin-to-skin contact such as genital-genital, oral-genital, finger-vaginal or finger-anal contact.

As HPV transmission can happen with any kind of genital contact with someone who has HPV, the HPV can be passed on when you engage in oral sex, with CDC highlighted the following risks:

Giving oral sex to woman with HPV-infected vagina or genital area can result in getting HPV in throat.

Giving oral sex to man with HPV-infected penis or genital area can result in getting HPV in throat.

Giving oral sex to a man or woman with HPV on anus or in rectum may result in getting HPV in throat.

Getting oral sex from a partner with HPV in the throat might result in getting HPV on the genital area, anus, or rectum.

 
Some related research findings include:

• The American Association for Cancer Research Journal revealed a study that investigated HPV infection prevalence among 222 men and their female partners. The participants completed questionnaires about their sexual history (including information about how often men gave oral sex to their female partner), while oral and genital HPV samples were also collected.

  Results show that 7.2% of men developed oral HPV. Of these, 11.5% had a female partner with genital HPV infection, while 28.6% had a female partner with oral HPV infection.

• The U.S. National Library of Medicine published studies indicating strong correlation between oral sex and HPV-induced oropharyngeal cancer among Americans. For instance, a case study of 240 patients found those positive for HPV-16 had a history of oral sex and multiple oral sex partners, whereas HPV-negative patients had no history of oral sex. In another study on 356 patients with oropharyngeal cancers, patients were HPV-positive with mean life time oral sex partners of 12.8 compared to 6 for HPV-negative patients.
• University of Washington also discovered genital HPV infections among lesbian women who had never had sex with a man. HPV can be transmitted via oral sex, skin-to-skin contact (between women who have sex exclusively with women), and sharing of sex toys like vibrator.

 
So when you go down on your girlfriend / boyfriend, with cunnilingus for her or blowjob for him –

There is risk that you can get HPV from giving oral sex to your partner with HPV.


 

How Can You Help Your Partner with HPV Infection?

When your partner has been diagnosed with HPV, it can be scary and emotionally upsetting.

Give your support. Encourage your girlfriend / boyfriend / wife / husband to talk with a healthcare provider for clear understanding, as there are over 200 different HPV virus. Not all the HPV types can cause cancer, with low-risk HPV strains may cause benign warts, while 90% of HPV infections are cleared by the body itself.

Recommended read:

• Clinical Study: Japanese Mushroom Extract AHCC Help to Kill HPV Virus
• How long can HPV be dormant and stay in body?
• Human Papillomavirus Fact Sheet

 

My Girlfriend Has HPV Do I Have It Too?

With HPV virus is highly contagious, it is not surprised to hear comments like “my girlfriend gave me genital warts” or “my boyfriend gave me HPV, i should break up with him”.

If your sexual partner has HPV, it is highly likely that you can have it too – despite it could be that your partner has HPV / genital warts but you have no symptoms at all.

Statistically speaking, when you have at least 1 opposite sex partner, the U.S. CDC estimated average lifetime probability of contracting HPV is 91.3% for men and 84.6% for women.
 
 

My Partner Has HPV: How Do I Protect Myself?

1. Boost your body immune system as the first line of defense against the HPV virus, as strong immune system can help to clear the HPV infections or keep the virus dormant. Check out the recommended reads below to learn more.

• How To Build Your Body Immunity To Fight HPV Infection
• 7 Quick and Easy Juice Recipes and Smoothie That Boost Immune System

2. Practise safer sex with condom while avoid oral sex. Condoms can be helpful, but remember that dental dams and condoms are not surefire blockers of HPV as you can still get this virus through skin to skin contact. Latex condom reduce but do not eliminate the risk of HPV transmission, because condom may not cover all genital skin that is exposed during sexual contact, while HPV virus can be found on vaginal fluid and mucus membranes.

3. HPV vaccines like Gardasil for both female and male can help to protect yourself without killing your sex life with your partner with HPV. According to WebMD, Gardasil is approved for boys and men ages 9 to 26 as well as girls and women ages 9 to 26. Note that HPV vaccines only offer protection against certain HPV strains (such as the high risk HPV-16 and HPV-18), while there have been controversies on the potential side effects of HPV vaccination.
 
 
In video below, Paul A. Offit MD shares more insights on how you can protect yourself when your partner is infected with HPV.
 

 
Does your partner has HPV? Leave a comment below and share your experience / thoughts!