HPV and Condom Use

Interesting finding from a small study:

Condom use does matter in human papillomavirus infections, because it is associated with a shorter persistence of infection in females, according to a study of 57 sexually active female adolescents.

The study, which followed the adolescents for an average of 2.2 years, found that in those who reported the least-frequent condom use, the mean duration of an HPV infection was 251 days, compared with a mean duration of 138 days for those reporting the most, Marcia L. Shew, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

...

Some of the possibilities that might explain why condom use results in shorter infections include the fact that someone who is having repeated sex with an infected individual might be exposed to a higher viral load, or even that semen is proinflammatory, and that somehow contributes, Dr. Shew said.