Recently, it has been discovered that some certain sex practices at a particular age and time can increase the risk of throat cancers which is related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

Read More: https://allnews.ng/news/how-your-sex-habits-may-affect-your-hpv-and-cancer-risk

Recently, it has been discovered that some certain sex practices at a particular age and time can increase the risk of throat cancers which is related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

All sexually active men and women are susceptible to acquiring this genital infection, but by consistently practising safe sex will lower your risk of developing HPV-related cancer.

Because the lifetime risk of HPV infection is up to 80% and most often cleared within 2 years, therefore, in order not to be in this situation you need to know such practices or sex habits so as to guide against them.

I will say contrary to general norms, sex is good and it is meant to be enjoyed. In fact, a good sex life is good for your heart because it helps relieve stress and lowers your risk of some diseases such as heart attack, cancers, blood pressure, sleep, pain among others which goes beyond good orgasm.



Without gainsaying, Sexual act has a lot of health benefits which range from reducing stress and tension in the body to boosting your immune system. It may even affect your risk of developing certain cancers.

Research carried out by Wilkes University in Pennsylvania revealed that people who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of a certain antibody compared to people who had sex less often. Invariably, people who have sex often have higher levels of what defends their body against germs, viruses, and other intruders.

How sex and cancer risk are linked are dependent on several factors. age, gender, and how often you practice safe sex will all influence your potential cancer risk.

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However, the only clear literature linking sex and cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is the leading causes of cancer and can be easily transmitted through sexual activity.

There are over 200 strains of HPV, but some are more cancer-causing than others. But the good news is that we now have a vaccine against the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus.

According to research, HPV causes about 70 per cent of oropharyngeal cancers tumours of the back of the throat, the base of the tongue and the tonsils.

Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are about 3,500 new cases of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed in women and about 16,200 in men every year in the United States.

These cancers are more common among white people than among Africans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, or American Indians and Native Alaskans.

There are different types of HPV that causes cancer aside from the throat cancer earlier mention, HPV can also cause cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile and anal cancers. It can take years, even decades, after infection for cancer to develop.



Sexual Habits/Behaviours That May Affect HPV or Cancer Risk

As mention earlier, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in sexually active adolescents and young people and the main risk factors correlated with HPV infection are:

Early sexual debut (first intercourse at a very young age)
Number of partners (high number of sex partners)
Frequency and type of sexual contact
Partner’s sexual histories (a history of other sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea)
How HPV Is SexuallyTransmitted

Below are different ways in which one can unknowingly spread HPV during sexual practice.

vaginal sex
MouthAction
anal sex


Safe sexual practices can reduce the risk of transmission. Meanwhile, condoms should be used for vaginal and anal sex. Condoms or dental dams can also reduce the risk of virus transmission during MouthAction. However, condoms cannot prevent HPV entirely. The virus spreads by skin-to-skin contact.

Vaccination For HPV-Related Cancer



Vaccination is the primary method of preventing HPV-related cancers. But as mentioned above, some individuals still question why males need the vaccine if girls are receiving it through the school-based program.

However, the reason for the question is in twofold, among heterosexual couples, HPV is transmitted between males and females, either partner could be infected first and transmit it to the other.

So, vaccinating women provides some benefits to men, but full protection of heterosexual men only occurs if most women receive the vaccine.

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While the school-based program in Australia has reached quite high coverage of girls, it isn’t high enough to fully protect all heterosexual boys. What’s more, men who are vaccinated will help protect future partners who are not vaccinated.

Secondly, adolescent boys who do or will eventually identify as bisexual or homosexual are not protected. It’s unrealistic, impractical, and stigmatising to try to single out this population at the age of 12 when school children receive the HPV vaccine.



By vaccinating adolescent boys in a school-based program, we can protect the homosexual community from developing HPV-related cancers as well. And this is very important given the higher prevalence of HPV infection and related disease in this population.

HPV is a real risk for developing cancer in both men and women, and it is transmitted through sex. But, reducing this cancer risk is easily done through vaccination. After HPV vaccination, the only real cancer worries are those not directly related to sexual behaviours.

So get vaccinated against HPV, eat your veggies, exercise, and watch out for those other carcinogens in your life. But you won’t have to worry about contracting cancer from your sexual partners.