How can I make sure I don’t get or spread HPV?

How to avoid the HPV virus

As always, the best way to make sure you don’t get an STD like HPV is to avoid any sexual contact with another person — that includes vaginal, oral, and anal sex, and any other genital contact.

But most people have sex at some point in their lives. If you’re sexually active, there are things that you can do to lower your chances of getting or spreading HPV:

• Get the HPV vaccine.

• Use condoms and/or dental dams every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Though condoms and dental dams are not as effective against HPV as they are against other STDs like chlamydia and HIV, safer sex can lower your chances of getting HPV.

How can I avoid I giving someone HPV?

The truth is, unless you have a high-risk type of HPV, or have genital warts, you’ll probably never know you had HPV. So the best way to avoid giving it to someone is to never have it to begin with, by getting the HPV vaccine.

Here are some things you can do to help prevent HPV:

• Avoid skin-to-skin contact by not having sex.

• Use condoms and/or dental dams every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Though condoms and dental dams are not as effective against HPV as they are against other STDs like chlamydia and HIV, safer sex can lower your chances of getting HPV.

Get the HPV vaccine and encourage your partner to do the same.