If you’re a human being, of any gender or sexual orientation, new research suggests you should be screened for HPV. That’s because whether you’re a straight man or woman, or a gay man, or even — a new study indicates — a lesbian woman, you’re a risk for contracting the virus. And if you’re a lady, you know what that means: exposure to the virus that can lead to cervical cancer.
We were unaware that gay women were not being instructed to receive HPV screenings, because we just talked to one of our gal-loving galpals, who just had a HPV screening done, at the recommendation of her doctor. But apparently it’s not a medical standard? That’s because, we’re told, it was previously believed two women could not spread the human papilloma virus between each other, to which we wonder: Uh, do scientists know how women fuck? And also: They’ve seen lesbians with genital warts before, right? Because that shit is caused by HPV.
Historically it was believed that the HPV virus could only be transmitted through heterosexual relationships, leading to the incorrect assumption that lesbians are not at risk from cervical cancer and do not need to be screened.
Although some lesbians may never have had a relationship with a man, there is a strong chance a partner may have. Research shows that 80 per cent of lesbians have had a sexual relationship with a man at some stage in their life. Any exchange of bodily fluids can pass the HPV between two people, so a woman could contract the infection from her partner.
“Some lesbian women have said they feel discouraged from being screened because they are asked questions such as how regularly they have sex with their husband or boyfriend or whether they use contraception with them,” [Dr Julie Fish from De Montfort University] said. “Such discourse conveys the assumption that cervical screening is only necessary for heterosexual women.”
How about, when you go to get screened for STDs, you have them check everything? Our mother once taught us “better safe than sorry,” and it’s like, well, yeah.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
The Senate version of the Health-care Bill will close Free Clinics in New York so Republican states can have extra funds…for Church-based social services which deny LGBTs existence, access to health-care and HIV prevention information. Thanks Obamacare. Hope the House can come up with a version that is not Genocide of lgbt populations by States like NY and Cali that have always co-participated in Medicaid instead of the States like Mississippi allowing it to go unspent as with the Bush Administration. Now, NYC gets bubke while everyone else gets a big fat piece of cake.
Qjersey
Maybe she didn’t get the memo. I learned years ago that HPV is easily transmitted on fingers, so everyone is at risk, even those who don’t have penetrative sex. If someone has it and they touch themselves and use the same hand to touch your naughty bits, the virus can be transmitted.
Lukas P.
Bottom line: anyone having sex with, um, any carbon-based life-form, should discuss HPV screening with her/his primary care provider, and if that PCP doesn’t recommend such screening, should find another physician who stays current (i.e., the last few years) on medical data.
Passing on nasty viruses to a partner is just plain bad manners, horrible karma, and terribly wrong.
Fitz
Money. This one is about money. Expensive test. Expensive treatment. Less expensive death.
MauraHennessey
About four years ago, an Anthropology/Women’s studies student named Francesca Tronetti did a paper on this subject. Her conclusions from survey data demonstrated that beoynd HIV, the medical community was clueless about LGBT healthcare issues, those of Lesbians in particular with trans-needs following in a close second.
She her Lesbian sample came from both the US and the British Isles(UK/Ireland), two drastically differing healthcare systems yet with similiar outcomes on Lesbian health issues