I have HPV but don't have herpes or cold sores. I had second degree abnormal cells so I had to have a Letz surgery. I was lucky I didn't get cancer.

You're not contagious though, right? HPV is strange I think. Sometimes it's contagious and sometimes it's not.

I'm not actually sure, I never asked that question to the specialist.

HPV is contagious and spreads from direct skin-to-skin contact, condoms don't protect you from it, which is why like 90% of the sexually active population have contracted the virus at some point in their lifetime.

High risk strains are not associated with actual warts, but will cause you to have cervical cellular abnormalities, if left untreated, will progress to cervical cancer, like Vanilla had. The low risk strains are not associated with any cellular abnormalities, but will cause you to have actual warts. But both forms are contagious.

Having said that though, you can't "reinfect" yourself with the same strain, once you have had that strain of the virus, that's it - your body has antibodies to it. So it's doubtful you will infect anyone anyway because they have probably already had it at some point.

Thanks for explanation Kate. I don't want anyone thinking I'm full of STD's.

If I wasn't having smears in my early twenties I could of got cervical cancer and lose my ability to have children. A lot of women die from cervical cancer.

I know, it's scary :( Luckily you had it treated before it progressed!

Yeah, a lot of people don't realise how prevalent HPV is and don't realise that they've probably been infected with it at some point in their life if they are sexually active and if they haven't had the vaccine...

I didn't mean it that way about you! :)

And I hate those damn smears but they're so necessary.

I'm sorry, Vanilla. We can't get it on.

I don't mess with dirty birds.

Not getting laid in over a year, and I still hardly care at all.

Give me a fucking medal.

you only get a medal for that if you have girls falling all over you all the time and you resist.