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Original poster

So does having more sexual partners make it more likely you get cervical cancer ?

98 replies

mummybarb · 10/03/2023 23:43

The title is not supposed to be inflammatory, I'm generally trying to understand this.

For what it's worth, I've had plenty of partners...

Please correct my ignorance at any point in my post as I'm not fully clued up on this topic.

So HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which about 80 percent of sexually active people get at some point.

This virus can then in some people cause cell changes which can then over time become cancerous.

So most people have HPV at some point right ? But if you only ever slept with one person and that person only ever slept with you for example, wouldn't your risk of getting HPV be lower ? Than say for someone like me, who's had a jolly good time with various partners ?

I've read around on Google and think I came across something saying my theory is correct, but that's just one source. Can anyone help me understand ?

OP posts:
Ndd135632 · 11/03/2023 08:11

I got the vaccine privately a few years ago and am nearly 50. I have HPV already and have had very early stage cervical cancer treatment in the past. I read that even retrospectively the vaccine can help so got it done as soon as I could. I mean it’s worth a try. And so far so good.

WoWsers16 · 11/03/2023 08:14

I had cervical cancer and didn't have HPV.
I also haven't had many sexual partners (only 1 in these past 20 years and before that 2).
Like many things it can only take one partner to pass on HPV if that's the cause :(
They also say more than 2 children can cause cervical cancer.

Just to say cervical cancer isn't just about having sexual partners and HPV through that - I know many that have had it and been made to feel dirty and to blame, which is wrong.

Perime · 11/03/2023 08:16

Do smear tests only test for hpv now?

WoWsers16 · 11/03/2023 08:16

Pleasekeepmycoffeehot · 11/03/2023 00:57

I feel really muddled about HPV.

I've had regular smears and never been positive for HPV, but could i still have had it at some point and therefore the risk is still higher?

There must be people in this category if 80% of sexually active people have had it at some point?

Am I misunderstanding completely?

Totally agree-
I never missed a smear and my smears have always been clear- even when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I know a few people who got cervical cancer with clear smears- this is why I don't agree with the smears just checking for HPV x

EveSix · 11/03/2023 08:34

SoMuchGoo, thanks.
I wonder if the increase is linked to 'early starters' potentially being able to fit in more sexual encounters with a greater number of people over a period of time than someone who had their first sexual encounter aged 25?

Would a 14 year old who had sex with only one partner for 10 years still be at an increased risk by virtue of having subjected her young cervix to penetrative sex at a young age? As in, is it only exposure to HPV that causes cell changes, or are there other factors such as 'wear and tear' on the cervix? I was definitely told this as a deterrent to starting to have sex in my early teens in the 80s.

DP's ex, who is also my friend, developed a very aggressive form of cervical cancer (thankfully recovered). I asked at a smear test about the likelihood of DP having passed HPV on to me and whether this could be tested for at some point, but the nurses weren't able to say if there was such screening on offer, only looking for abnormal cells through the standard smear test.

Aftjbtibg · 11/03/2023 08:36

Well logically the more partners you have the more likely you are to have HPV but equally you could have one partner and get it. Thank goodness for vaccinations

Crumpetdisappointment · 11/03/2023 08:38

surely condoms would be the best prevention?

Letstaketotheskies · 11/03/2023 08:44

MaeJuneJulia · 11/03/2023 00:11

I don't understand. You could have been a virgin and stay faithful to one man who shags around or who has an infection and passes it to you. You've not had many sexual partners but he did.
What if you only sleep with 3 people without condoms but then someone else always used condoms correctly and had sex with 30 people. I think the correlation is too general and shames people with high body count.

The best case scenario is that you're both virgins and stay faithful forever otherwise we're all doomed. It only takes that one time with the one person.

On an individual level yes of course you can get cervical cancer despite only having one sexual partner and of course not everyone who has had many sexual partners is going to get cervical cancer. But more partners and more partners who themselves have had more partners puts you at higher risk.
Maths and sexual transmitted infections don’t care about being kind and non judgmental.

In practice all it means is that the ´how many partners/ recent partners’ and ´protected/unprotected sex’ type questions you fill out when having sexual health screenings are part of how the nurse/doctor will decide what to recommend in terms of tests and frequency you should be getting checked out for things.

Darthwazette · 11/03/2023 08:47

I had high risk HPV 25 years ago which has since cleared but I’m worried that this could cause cell changes now which aren’t being picked up because they only look for a current HPV infection

Conkersinautumn · 11/03/2023 08:49

And of course how many strains of hpv you have had or been exposed to might be important. No doubt the vaccinated generations are going to be massively judgmental about those too old to have had it.

WoWsers16 · 11/03/2023 08:52

Perime · 11/03/2023 08:16

Do smear tests only test for hpv now?

Yes they do - so even though that's good in a way it's also not - many people think it's a test for cervical cancer which it isnt :(

Bloomingcancer · 11/03/2023 08:53

My BF had cervical cancer, a very odd and rare version, the cancer was the other side of the vagina (endometrial I believe it’s called). It wasn’t picked up on a smear but was in a lot of pain during intercourse. She thought she was ok because of her clear smears when she wasn’t. Fortunately treatment worked and she’s very well 7 years on.

(sorry OP not related to your question, but hopefully a life saver for someone)

Twizbe · 11/03/2023 08:54

In short yes, that's always been stated as a risk factor.

I'm sure I've been asked how many sexual partners I've had at a smear ... that might have been a contraception appointment though ...

That said, I enjoyed my first year at uni but am HPV negative (too old to be vaccinated)

masterbakeoff · 11/03/2023 08:59

Darthwazette · 11/03/2023 08:47

I had high risk HPV 25 years ago which has since cleared but I’m worried that this could cause cell changes now which aren’t being picked up because they only look for a current HPV infection

Me too. I had an abnormal smear which resulted in laser treatment about 20 years ago when the tested every sample, not just HPV positive. Yet now I have tested negative for HPV so cells don’t get checked. Makes me very worried.

greenspaces4peace · 11/03/2023 09:04

Lots of mention of hpv, but hsv2 is also linked to cervical cancer.
the link between uncircumcised men and cervical cancer in women is also interesting.

JustAWeirdoWithNoName · 11/03/2023 09:19

Just came onto say that the vaccines are also not the get out of jail free card that we were told they were. My school year was one of the first years to have them when we were 12. By the time we were having our first smears at age 25, one friend was already HPV-positive and was referred for a colposcopy - the nurse told her that the protection from vaccines only lasts about 10 years.

SaveMeFromMyBoobs · 11/03/2023 09:43

JustAWeirdoWithNoName · 11/03/2023 09:19

Just came onto say that the vaccines are also not the get out of jail free card that we were told they were. My school year was one of the first years to have them when we were 12. By the time we were having our first smears at age 25, one friend was already HPV-positive and was referred for a colposcopy - the nurse told her that the protection from vaccines only lasts about 10 years.

First generation of vaccines only protected against the 2 'worst' strains. I had a family member who had the same but the strain, while still linked to cervical cancer, was actually not one of the 2 she was vaccinated against. New ones, while still not perfect, are much better and cover more of the riskier strains. They also never used to vaccinate boys, and now they are. It has led to a massive decrease in the strains which have been linked to cervical cancer in the youger population.

gogohmm · 11/03/2023 09:47

By definition yes, more = higher risk. I've only had 2 relationships without barrier protection, so relatively low risk - the unknown factors are did exh or did dp's exw? (I'm dp's second ever relationship)

bluejelly · 11/03/2023 09:50

Crumpetdisappointment · 11/03/2023 08:38

surely condoms would be the best prevention?

Indeed. If you have slept with lots of people and used condoms carefully, your risk profile would be a hell of a lot lower than if you hadn't. It's passed on by unprotected sex not safe sex.

2022again · 11/03/2023 09:51

@JustAWeirdoWithNoName @SaveMeFromMyBoobs thank you so much for bringing these points up , its REALLY important that girls who've had the HPV vaccine still know that they need to seek GP help for unusual bleeding and painful sex and go for smears when called. My youngest ever hospice patient had only had 1 partner and was told by her GP she was "too young for cervical cancer" ......and it can and does happen to people with very limited sexual history. Also important that boys are vaccinated, both to reduce their own risk of oral/anal/penile cancers and to reduce transmission to their partners...people still aren't always aware of the need to vaccinate both boys and girls.
Please always use a condom guys if possible but don't forget oral sex and non-penetrative intimacy also transmits HPV!

SolarEcrisp · 11/03/2023 09:54

I was just about to say using condoms is key - presumably why being on the pill increases your risk. Unprotected sex (ie not barrier method) increases risk of hpv transmission

CostaDelPatio · 11/03/2023 10:06

Condoms do not prevent transmission, it’s through contact

SolarEcrisp · 11/03/2023 10:07

They reduce risk though

ArcticSkewer · 11/03/2023 10:12

SolarEcrisp · 11/03/2023 09:54

I was just about to say using condoms is key - presumably why being on the pill increases your risk. Unprotected sex (ie not barrier method) increases risk of hpv transmission

Vaccination is the key, not condoms.

We have used the vaccines for a while now, enough time to see their efficacy. So much so that there is now talk of near eradication of cervical cancer in future generations.

HPV is also linked to a large increase in mouth/throat/tongue cancer in men - from oral sex. So the new vaccination campaign for boys is also very important to protect them.

Letstaketotheskies · 11/03/2023 10:41

I think most of us had condom use drilled into us in sex ed and are careful to use them with new partners. BUT I think the usage rates of barriers (condoms and dental dams) with oral sex are much much lower. - I don’t think I’ve ever even seen dental dams for sale alongside a display of condoms in a supermarket for example. And you can absolutely pass on/catch hpv from oral sex too. Vaccination has had a huge impact on cervical cancer rates for my generation.