Adult retrospective studies show that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men were sexually abused before the age of 18. This means there are more than 42 million adult survivors of child sexual abuse in the U.S.
The primary reason that the public is not sufficiently aware of child sexual abuse as a problem is that 73% of child victims do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least a year. 45% of victims do not tell anyone for at least 5 years. Some never disclose
Survivors are at risk for so many mental and physical long term effects. STD transmission prior to puberty can have life altering damage. I want to talk specifically about HPV.
Does HPV cause cancer?
HPV can cause cervical and other cancers, including cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer). This affects many men, a lot of them are the perpetrators. This can include the base of the tongue and tonsils.
Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV. Genital warts and cancers result from different types of HPV.
There is no way to know who will develop cancer or other health problems from HPV.
In the United States, vulvar cancer accounts for nearly 6% of cancers of the female reproductive organs and 0.7% of all cancers in women. In the United States, women have a 1 in 333 chance of developing vulvar cancer at some point during their life.
The American Cancer Society's estimates for vulvar cancer in the United States for 2022 are:
About 6,330 cancers of the vulva will be diagnosed. About 1,560 women will die of this cancer
Women who are forced into sexual activities in childhood or adulthood are also at increased risk of developing sexually transmitted infections, including human papilloma-virus (HPV) infection. Persistent high-risk HPVs are the necessary etiological agent for vulva neoplasia development.
I was diagnosed with stage 2 squamous cell carcinoma (HPV) of my Vulva in January of 2019. I have had three disfiguring surgeries, 6 rounds of cisplatin, and 35 round of direct beam radiation to my vagina. I’m to young for this disease, the likelihood I contracted it when I was between the ages of 5-8 is about 1000%.
The domino effect it’s created in my life is staggering. I’m still being monitored as this cancer is grossly under researched and funded. My body is deteriorating faster than I can report symptoms to my doctors. It’s mind blowing. I will never stop this fight, and hope to encourage more women to tell their stories.