Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/251527
46 BRAVA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2014 Can sex really lead to cancer? Yes. In fact, almost 100 percent of cervical cancers are a result of a high-risk hu- man papilloma virus (HPV) infection of strains 16 and 18, which are transmitted through sexual contact. Many mistakenly believe that HPV- related cancers, such as cervical, vagi- nal, vulvar, penile, anal and some head and neck cancers, are a direct result of promiscuousSEXWITHMˬNYPˬRTNERSŀE reality, though, is that a high-risk HPV infection can be spread during one sexual encounter, an encounter that doesn't necessarily include intercourse. "You could have had sex just once, 20 years ago and still develop cervical can- cer from a high-risk HPV infection be- cause it is that slow-growing," states David Kushner, MD, FACOG, director of gynecologic oncology at UW Carbone Cancer Center and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UW School of Medi- cine and Public Health. CERVICAL CANCER: THE SNEAKY CULPRIT Anyone who is sexually active can come in contact with HPV. In fact, almost 80 percent of sexually active people will contract one of more than 100 strains of HPV in their lifetime and never know it. According to the Foundation for Women's Cancer (FWC), of the 100 HOW DO WE PROTECT OURSELVES FROM SOME GYNECOLOGICAL CANCERS? LOCAL SURVIVORS SAY AWARENESS, VACCINATIONS AND VIGILANCE ARE KEY. BY JAN MCNALY PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANNA WOLF In honor of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (January) and Vulvar Cancer Awareness Month (March), BRAVA takes a closer look at HPV— the virus that causes them both—and how it can affect women's lives and sexuality. H I T T I N G B E LOW THE BELT WOMEN'S CANCERS PART II OF II