HPV (human papillomavirus) infection, the most common sexually transmitted infection, puts women at a high risk of contracting it. HPV infects the surface cells on the oral or genital mucous membranes and some skin parts like hands or feet. HPV can cause genital and anal warts and is closely linked to malignancies, which include cervical, mouth, oropharyngeal, anus, vagina and penis cancers.
In Canada, around 3 out of 4 Canadians who are sexually active are affected at least once in their lifetime. HPV has more than 150 strains. An estimated number of 6.2% of women in Canada have cervical HPV-16/18 infection at a given time, and these two strains can cause 74.0% of invasive cervical cancers.
HPV history and family plan
If you have contracted HPV and would like to get pregnant, please make sure your health care provider knows about this, including any history of warts, cervix tissue changes, and treatment history. As cells change rapidly during pregnancy , it’s essential for your doctor to closely monitor your health.
HPV infection during pregnancy and its transmission risk to newborns
Studies show that HPV is commonly found in pregnant women. If a pregnant woman is tested positive for HPV types that may lead to cervical cancer, she would be monitored for cervical tissue changes during pregnancy.
Transmission of the virus to the placenta and newborn is possible, but uncommon, with a low risk overall. If the newborn babies do get the HPV virus, their bodies would be able to clear the virus themselves. Even though the pregnant woman has the HPV type that may cause cervical cancer, it does not impact the baby’s safe delivery. Additionally, there is no correlation between HPV and risks such as miscarriage, premature delivery and other pregnancy-related complications.
Impacts of HPV Treatments on Pregnancy and Fertility: What to Know
If abnormal cells need to be removed, your healthcare provider may use some treatment such as cryotherapy, cone biopsy or LEEP ( Loop electrosurgical excision procedure).
In the situation of increased tissue changes during pregnancy, the doctor would delay the treatment which might otherwise result in premature labor. As the production of cervical mucus can be affected by cell removal, the treatments would affect women’s capability to conceive or have full-term pregnancy.
Pregnant women who have genital warts would be monitored by their doctor as the warts may multiply/get larger or bleed due to hormone changes. The doctor may delay treatment for warts until after childbirth, but if the warts grow large enough to obstruct the vagina, they may need to be removed beforehand.
References
1.Kathleen Doheny. 2022. HPV and Pregnancy.
2. Pranamika Khayargoli, Joseph Niyibizi, Marie-Helene Mayrand et al. 2023. Human Papillomavirus Transmission and Persistence in Pregnant Women and Neonates. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2805186
3. Carmen Elena Condrat, Lidia Filip, Mirela Gherghe et al. 2021.
Maternal HPV Infection: Effects on Pregnancy Outcome. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8707668/
4. Stephanie Watson. 2019. What Are the Risks of HPV During Pregnancy?
5. Natalie Silver. 2021. Will Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Affect My Fertility?
6. Government of Canada. 2024. HPV Vaccine. www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1572286220756/1572289813916
7. ICO/IARCInformationCentreonHPVandCancer. 2023. Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers FactSheet 2023(Canada). chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://hpvcentre.net/statistics/reports/CAN_FS.pdf
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