This is good to know.
Consistent condom use by their male partners appears to reduce the risk of human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection in newly sexually active women, a study reports today.HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the USA. Certain HPV types cause nearly all cervical cancer cases, and others cause genital warts.
The new study, in The New England Journal of Medicine, followed 82 female college undergraduates who reported their first intercourse with a male partner during the study or within two weeks of its start. The women had pelvic exams and HPV and Pap tests every four months. They also completed a Web-based diary about their sexual behavior every two weeks.
Women whose partners always used a condom were 70% less likely to acquire an HPV infection than women whose partners used condoms less than 5% of the time, the University of Washington researchers found.
Of course I just noticed that it says *newly* active sexual partners. Oh well. But you should use condoms anyway.
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The advantange, as I see it, of studying "newly sexually active" women is that it reduces the chance that those studied already had HPV before the study started. Thus, it adds strength to your condom advice.
agreed with daniel.
that they studied on newly sexually active women makes this a *better* study.
I was about to comment but Daniel and catswym said it.
However, the fact that this study indicates using condoms could lower further risk of exposure to HPV for those of us who have been around the block is a good thing, no?
As a man I worry about the perceived negatives about using a condom. When I here guys (and some girls) talk about it, it is always in the context of what a drag it is.
If we are going to get this to be the accepted practice, don't we need to start changing the conversation?
Why would you do something that is perceived negatively? Well, as an adult you know that you can die or have negative consequences, but as a teen you don't see that side of things very well.
It sucks that we need good marketing for something like health, but it will not get to the universal level that we need without it.