Hi all, I am posting this as my smear test came back as positive with borderline changes in December 2020. I then begun to show symptoms (warts) on my genitals. I had skipped my cervical cancer jabs when I was in school, (not a great idea). However I am up to date with them now to avoid any future strains. Please keep reading for what I did when this happened, how this affected my mental health and how I got rid of it. Please note this continues on a second post as my story was too long!!

It was December 2020 and I was in the majority of the UK that was in lockdown. My nurse had kept insisting a month earlier that I come in for my dreaded smear test. I missed my first one at the age of 25, not entirely understanding the importance of it so my first official one was at the age of 26. I kept hearing stories about it from different perspectives, each one telling me how painful it is for them when they go for theirs. I’m not going to lie it was a rather uncomfortable experience for me, but it’s really important that the professional who is carrying out your smear is gentle, and assuring. If you feel a lot of pain, you can always ask to take a break. But it is important that you get it done. I had entered a new relationship a few month prior and had us both carry out at home STD tests, just for peace of mind. Everything came back clear for a range of STD’s such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and more. This was great, after all weren’t these the most common and well known infections/ illnesses to be aware of? I received a letter from the NHS in early December 2020. When I opened it and read the words, I didn’t quite understand what they meant. I had ‘tested positive for HPV, the Human papillomavirus.’ My smear test had detected borderline changes within my cervix. So straight onto Google I go, investigating into what the hell this was. Ok so, I won’t advise against scouring the internet and crying to yourself because you’re probably going to do it anyway and there’s no stopping you. And truthfully, the first few bits of information that pops up will probably make your heart sink like they did mine. *Genital warts, cervical cancer, actual images of genital warts and no cure for hpv* come to mind. I was absolutely distraught as I personally hadn’t had any kind of STD prior to this and I thought this couldn’t happen to me. I also thought about what my partner would say. I hadn’t had sex prior to my partner for around a year, so where did this come from and who gave it to me? What would my partner say, we’re so early into our relationship and I have to tell him I have a sexually transmitted infection? I finally found someone great, and I’ve ruined it- what if he leaves me? How can I tell him what this is and the super embarrassing symptoms that it causes? Ok, so my panic levels were crazy high. I did not tell him straight away. So before I talk about me telling my partner, I want to make clear that you do not need to tell your partner that you have HPV. It can stay dormant in the system for years and years, awakening randomly. It does not mean that you or your partner have cheated. HPV is a virus that lingers in the system but it should clear itself out within 2 years or less. It took me around a year. Yes, my HPV cleared despite reading the horror stories on the internet. I also realise that everyone is different and what works for one, may not work for the other. It wasn’t long after that I began to show symptoms. I thought I was being paranoid and that it was probably just an ingrown hair on my hoo-ha, or a pimple. A week passed and I realised that this was a fleshy bit on my skin and it was actually more than a ingrown hair or pimple. I called my GP in panic and had to wait a few days to get a telephone appointment. I was saddened by the lack of empathy and general stigma around this subject as my GP did not seem to want to help me or advise of what I can do with these symptoms. I felt at fault and that I was wasting valuable NHS time. My mental health dipped REALLY low. I had never had anxiety before but a sexually transmitted infection, your first genital wart, being locked off from the world due to a pandemic, pressure of up-keeping a new relationship and limited services to provide advice in this area can have a knock on effect. So, at this point I realised that I was getting no help or support from my GP and I was terrified of dealing with this alone. I had to turn to online pharmacies and pay for a consultation, as well as take photos of the lesion so that doctors can review and prescribe treatment. I was really hoping that they’d tell me that it’s nothing to worry about, however that was not the case and they approved my request for Aldara (a very strong ointment), keep reading to find out how I used this. This is how I handled general warts and it will not work for everyone. I changed my diet, started eating clean and exercising to boost my health and help my body to fight off the virus faster. I cut out sugar (not completely), but food and drink that were heavy in sugar were dropped from my diet as I read that viruses thrive on sugar. I took vitamin B12 supplements, raw vaginal probiotics and shiitake mushroom extract (more on the latter further down). Although condoms do not prevent you from getting HPV, we used them during sex; abstinence is advised however can be unrealistic if you have a partner and my nurse also told me that since we both have it, we should continue as normal. I left shaving on or around my genital wart/s until the end i.e. after I had shaved the rest of my vagina. When you shave, it creates an opening at your hair follicles and warts are more likely to spread if you shave over them and then shave everywhere else. Also use a different razor for your genital area and try to use a new disposable one every time, or clean the one you have thoroughly. Wash your hands after touching down there as HPV is spread through skin contact and doesn’t require you to be sexually active. When you internet search ‘genital warts’, you’re not going to get the prettiest photos. In fact, you’ll get some really extreme photos related to that search. This is the internet that we’re talking about after all. Believe me when I say, unless you have an extreme case of genital warts such as clusters, it is unlikely that they will grow to that extent. I experienced very small, fleshy and painless growths that appeared but didn’t grow more than a small pimple. I had them appear in a few places and used Aldara on my lesions, following the strict instructions that were provided. It is vital that you follow these instructions as you may get sore and inflamed skin on the applied area. The area may also itch, it is important not to scratch as the skin is very sensitive. It is also worth noting that your skin may not be the same on the area where the cream is applied as it can cause scarring, so for this reason do not apply the cream too far around your lesion. Always follow professional guidelines when using this product. It took around 2 weeks for each wart to start to appear smaller and then finally disappear. They would come and go over the course of a few months, so you do need to be patient. Going back to the shiitake mushroom extract, this seems to have been mentioned across multiple resources. The extract within shiitake mushrooms is said to be able to kill the HPV virus. I took this extract in the form of capsules, ordered from a health shop. Although they are safe to consume and are said to boost the immune system, there is no official study to prove that this gets rid of HPV. Always consult your doctor before trying new things. I also did eventually tell my partner after not feeling confident enough to have sex, having mood changes and a sudden change in personality. If you are planning to tell your partner, go prepared with all of the facts. Make them feel as comfortable as you’d like them to make you feel. I felt that I was no longer alone or feeling like I was hiding something. My anxiety journey also began here and has not yet ended. Not having enough information or knowledge surrounding HPV took a toll on my mental health. I felt alone and that something bad and rare was happening to me. Reflecting back on my experiences, I realise that this is because there is such a taboo around the subject of STD’s and I’d like to highlight that this is especially the case in communities that are led to believe that these things only happen to promiscuous individuals. HPV is extremely common and will occur in most people who have sex. The best way to avoid it is to not have sex at all- totally unrealistic! I promised myself that if my body cleared it, I would write about my experience so that I could help others. Initially I didn’t have the best experience, but it felt pretty different and raw with all of this happening during the pandemic. As well as taking care of your body, it’s so important to take care of your mental health. HPV is not a rare disease. It’s an extremely common infection. Not everyone has the same strain of HPV either, I had a pretty harmless but pesky one. And not everyone can clear it as quickly, in which case it would be really beneficial to get medical advice where you feel you need it. There is absolutely no shame, and there shouldn’t be a stigma associated with sexually transmitted diseases. Your mental health matters so much!