Yet another reason to add to the list of why we should use condoms both correctly and consistently: a recent study shows that males who consistently use condoms each time they have sex are not as likely as those males who do not use condoms each time to contract the virus that is responsible for genital warts. This report, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, is not exactly groundbreaking but it may help refute past studies that imply condoms may not adequately protect males against HPV (human papillomavirus). If somebody contracts one of the multiple strains of HPV, usually that person’s immune system can quickly rid the body of the infection. There are some strains of HPV, however, that linger and can cause cancer. In fact, having an untreated HPV infection is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. If an HPV infection can be prevented, those cases of cancer could be avoided. Studies have shown that using condoms during sex can lessen the risk of contracting STDs, but other studies have generated varying results that could indicate condoms may not do much to lower the risk of men contracting HPV. The main reason for this is that HPV is very easily contracted; since HPV can be transmitted with any genital contact, those parts of the genitalia not covered by condoms are susceptible to infection. In this study, over 450 men over the age of 18 up to 40 years old participated and were tested for close to 40 types of HPV. Swab samples were taken from the penile area in addition to samples taken from the anus, scrotum and perineum (those areas that the condom does not cover). Participants were surveyed on their sexual past and were asked if they used condoms consistently in the past few months. Of those men surveyed, 154 men said they did not use condoms, 90 men said they always used condoms and the remainder stated they used condoms off and on. Of those men who stated they always used condoms, their results showed them less likely to have contracted HPV. This same group of men had 38% of them having positive HPV results whereas 54% of those men who stated they never used condoms had positive HPV results. In addition, of those men who stated they consistently used condoms, they were not as likely to have the HPV strains that cause cancer. If those men who stated they always used condoms were truthful, the results show that a significant portion of them still contracted HPV. This shows that consistent condom use does not completely prevent HPV transmission, but it does lower their chance of infection.

Original Source of Condoms Key In Protecting Against HPV