Does HPV affect pregnancy?

HPV is a common gynecological disease in our lives. Men may also suffer from this gynecological disease, but the probability of men suffering from HPV is much lower than that of women. After women get HPV, they should be treated as soon as possible and avoid having sex during the treatment period. They should always clean their private parts and change their underwear. So, will HPV affect pregnancy?

HPV's Chinese name is human papillomavirus. It mainly infects the skin and mucous membranes through sexual contact and does not enter the blood. The placenta and other organs will block these viruses and prevent them from affecting the baby. Although mother-to-child transmission cannot be completely ruled out, the probability of infection is very low.

In fact, more than 80% of women have been infected with HPV during their sexually active period (data from the United States; the proportion in China may be even higher). 90-95% of these women relied on their own immune systems to kill the virus within 8-13 months, without causing any lasting harm. With such a high infection rate, if HPV infection affects pregnancy and the fetus, there may not be so many healthy babies born, and population growth will be affected.

Babies may be infected with HPV during normal delivery, but most babies can rely on their own immune system to eliminate the virus, so there is no need to worry too much. You can choose natural delivery by comprehensively considering the mother's physical condition, the activity of the virus, etc.

If you are HPV positive and have warts, you need to postpone pregnancy preparations. If you are pregnant, you need active treatment!

If warts appear on the genitals or other parts of the body, it is recommended to remove the warts first and try to avoid pregnancy. Generally, if there is no recurrence for more than one year, you can start preparing for pregnancy.

If warts occur during pregnancy, active treatment is often recommended clinically. Otherwise, the warts may compete with the baby for space, restrict the baby's growth, and may also damage the baby's fetal membrane and cause premature birth.

If you are infected with high-risk HPV and have high-grade precancerous lesions, you must choose to terminate the pregnancy (to save the adult) or delay treatment (to save the child) depending on the situation. This is a difficult choice and more like a gamble.