Dear Monique19,

Women who have or have had HPV — the human papilloma virus — can have successful pregnancies.

HPV is a very common sexually transmitted infection that affects millions of women and men around the world. Most types of genital HPV cause no symptoms and most go away by themselves. But a few types of HPV can linger and cause genital warts, which may be uncomfortable and unattractive, but are not dangerous. A few other types of genital HPV, however, can linger and lead to cancer of the cervix, anus, penis, vagina, and vulva.

If a pregnant woman has ever had genital warts, she should tell her clinician. A clinician can remove warts before the birth to keep them from bleeding during delivery. A cesarean section may be needed if warts are likely to bleed heavily.

Very rarely, women transmit genital warts to the fetus during vaginal delivery. These can result in serious medical conditions for the newborn, including problems with breathing and severe, sometimes fatal, developmental disabilities.

Some women who have had to have large amounts of cervical tissue removed to prevent the development of cervical cancer may be more likely than other women to have deliveries that are pre-term and low birth weight. But with careful pregnancy management, women who have had large amounts of cervical tissue removed can still plan to have healthy babies in the future.

The best protection against cervical cancer for sexually active women is vaccination against HPV and regular Pap tests. The recently approved HPV vaccine protects against two types of HPV that cause genital warts and two types of HPV that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The HPV vaccine is recommended for all young women between nine and 26 years old.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.