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Condom use cuts men's HPV risk

Men who use condoms every time they have sex are less likely to harbour the virus that causes genital warts than those who are less consistent about protection.

Condom use cuts mens HPV risk

Men who use condoms every time they have sex are less likely to harbour the virus that causes genital warts than those who are less consistent about protection.

There are more than 100 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), some of which cause genital warts. In most people, the immune system clears the infection fairly rapidly. However, persistent infection with certain HPV strains can eventually lead to cancer in some cases. Persistent HPV infection is best known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, but it can also lead to cancers of the anus and penis. Preventing HPV infection in men may help lower the odds of these cancers, and cut their chances of transmitting the virus to their female partners - potentially helping to prevent some cases of cervical cancer. Past studies have suggested that condoms may lower the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV but whether condoms help lower men's HPV risk was not clear.

Researchers studied 463 American men between the ages of 18 and 40 for 37 types of HPV to find out the association between condom use and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in men. The data regarding the number of partners and frequency of condom use during vaginal sex in the past 3 months was collected under 5 categories from 'always' to 'never'. Testing was performed on swabbed samples from the penis, as well as areas not protected by condoms (the scrotum, perineum and anus).

It was found that men who always used condoms were less likely to test positive for HPV; 38 percent tested positive for HPV from at least one of the body sites tested, versus 54 percent of men who said they never used condoms. Overall, 90 men said they "always" used condoms, while 154 said they never did; the rest reported inconsistent condom use. Consistent condom users were also less likely to have cancer-related HPV strains: 17 percent tested positive for a cancer-related viral strain, compared with 36 percent of men who never used condoms.

Also, condoms appeared protective among men who'd had more than one partner in the past three months, but not those who said they'd been monogamous. Among men who reported more than one partner, consistent condom users were 78 percent less likely to test positive for HPV than those who never or only sporadically used condoms.

This study showed that consistent condom use was strongly associated with lower HPV prevalence in men.
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