HPV and Pregnancy

HPV and Pregnancy

The common symptoms of HPV are genital warts, and these often worsen during pregnancy. The reason for this is that you become more susceptible to being infected by viruses. Typically, HPV-related symptoms found in pregnant women become larger and grow at a faster rate. HPV and pregnancy have been a concern among many pregnant women or those who want to become pregnant because HPV is known to be contagious. Let’s discuss HPV and its effect on pregnancy.

Someone who has no history of HPV and is trying to get pregnant can have an HPV test, where cells are taken from the cervix and examined in the laboratory to identify the high-risk types of HPV. A colposcopy may also be used to detect abnormal tissue changes. A woman who’s had regular Pap tests and kept having good results do not necessarily need any specific test for HPV.

If a woman wants to become pregnant but has a history of HPV needs to discuss with her doctor regarding any symptoms that may suggest HPV infection such as genital warts or abnormal vaginal bleeding. This way, the doctor can detect other tissue changes, monitor the progress of the infection and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

If you are pregnant and have been diagnosed with HPV, it is important to know that it has not been established that there is a connection between HPV and premature delivery or miscarriage. Furthermore, the occurrence of transmitting HPV from the pregnant mother to her infant is found to be rare. If, however, high-risk types of HPV such as those that cause cervical cancer are present, your doctor may monitor you during pregnancy to find out if there are any changes in the cervical tissue. Treatment is available for pregnant women. However, doctors will often delay treatment as it can cause premature labor.

HPV and pregnancy can cause complications that need treatment. Newborn babies can get HPV, however, cases like these are rare. If a baby does get the virus from the mother, the infection usually clears up after some time. A child infected by HPV through mother-to-child transmission can develop genital warts or respiratory papillomatosis, or warts in the throat. This case is rare but if respiratory papillomatosis is present, it can cause serious blockages in the airways and the child may require frequent laser surgery.

Having a cesarean section is believed to prevent HPV transmission. However, most medical specialists do not recommend such a procedure just to prevent HPV transmission to the child, as this is very rare. Furthermore, the cesarean section is a risky procedure.

If a child is infected with HPV, up to 50 percent of the HPV infection may clear up within six months. Still, your child may need treatment especially if symptoms are visually unpleasant, painful, or itchy. Treatment is also necessary to prevent the virus from spreading.

HPV and pregnancy complications can be treated after proper tests are conducted. Routine tests are not commonly performed for expecting mothers. To find out if you are infected with HPV, you need to decide on tests such as Pap smears yourself. Although there are no drugs that can cure HPV, there are treatments available to remove warts during pregnancy. Doctors often conduct follow-up treatment and monitoring after pregnancy.