*Taps microphone.* Good evening, ladies and femmes, gentlemen and gentlethems! We have gathered you all here (the internet) today to talk about genital warts.
In fact, Dr. Hinchcliffe recommends that even people in monogamous relationships receive the vaccine. Why? “Because no one knows the future, and we are talking about preventing cancer… With the vaccine only recommended up to age 45, if your relationship status unexpectedly changes, you may find that you are unable to be vaccinated and having new sex partners over age 45,” she says.
Another thing you can do to protect yourself from genital warts (and other forms of HPV) is to quit smoking. “Studies have shown, among HPV-negative women, those who do not smoke are more likely to clear the virus without any treatment than those who do smoke,” says Dr. Hinchcliffe. (For support quitting, talk to your health care provider.)
Finally, use barrier methods during sex with individuals who have genital warts or whose current STI status you don’t know. For penetrative anal and vaginal intercourse, Dr. Hinchcliffe recommends using internal condoms, which cover more skin surface area compared to external condoms and therefore offer slightly more protection. But using an external condom during penetration is better than foregoing barriers altogether. She also recommends using dental dams or condoms during oral sex.
It’s also wise to use condoms on shared sex toys, saysDr. Hinchcliffe. “Studies show that HPV can linger on sex toys for a while,” she explains. “Play it safe and use condoms on shared sex toys and change the condom after each person — plus, this is much quicker than running to the clean your sex toy between partners.”
