Can I breastfeed my baby if I have HPV?

Breastfeeding with HPV: What You Need to Know
If you’re a new mother or expecting and have been diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV), you may have concerns about breastfeeding your baby. The good news is that current research and guidelines indicate that breastfeeding is safe for mothers with HPV.
Safety of Breastfeeding with HPV
According to health experts, there is no evidence to suggest that women with HPV should avoid breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasizes that breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits for both mother and child, and they do not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding due to an HPV diagnosis.
Research has shown that the transmission of HPV through breast milk is highly unlikely. In fact, studies indicate that while HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection—affecting about 80% of women at some point in their lives—its presence in breast milk does not pose a risk to infants.
Transmission Risks
While HPV can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, the likelihood of passing the virus to your baby during breastfeeding is extremely low. The primary concern regarding HPV transmission is during childbirth, where there is a very rare possibility of the virus being passed to the baby, potentially leading to respiratory issues. However, this is not a concern during breastfeeding itself.
Health Considerations
It’s important to note that having HPV does not typically affect the health of the baby or the course of pregnancy. Most women with HPV have successful pregnancies and deliver healthy babies. The focus should remain on the overall health of the mother and baby, and breastfeeding can continue as long as there are no other medical contraindications, such as HIV or specific medications that may pose risks.
Conclusion
In summary, if you have HPV, you can confidently breastfeed your baby. The benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the minimal risks associated with HPV transmission. Always consult with your healthcare provider for personalized advice, but rest assured that breastfeeding is a safe and healthy choice for mothers with HPV.

Can HPV be passed down to baby?

You may pass HPV to your unborn baby during pregnancy or delivery, but it’s unlikely. Studies have differed on the rate of HPV transmission from mother to baby. In a 2016 study, researchers found that about 11 percent of newborns born to HPV-positive mothers also had the virus.

Should I panic if I test positive for HPV?

Our experts say the most important thing to know if you have HPV is that the risk of cancer is very small but should be taken seriously. “Don’t panic, and don’t ignore it,” Ramondetta says. “Make sure you follow up with your doctor on the next steps and try to keep things in perspective.

Can I pass HPV to my baby through breastfeeding?

More recent research also reports that it’s unlikely that HPV passes to a child through breastfeeding. Researchers in a 2011 study concluded that the likelihood of a mother passing HPV to her child through breast milk is low. And a 2017 study found no evidence of transmission of HPV from mother to child.

What not to do if I have HPV?

Protect your partner(s).
You may need to stop having sex while you’re getting treated for genital warts or high-risk forms of HPV. Talk to your provider about the precautions you should take with an HPV infection.

How can I have a baby if I have HPV?

The potential for HPV transmission to a fetus during vaginal birth is low. Vaginal birth is usually encouraged over cesarean unless the patient has large condyloma, or genital warts, from the HPV. If the warts are large enough, they can block the birth canal.

Why am I suddenly HPV positive?

Sometimes, after several negative HPV tests, a woman may have a positive HPV test result. This is not necessarily a sign of a new HPV infection. Sometimes an HPV infection can become active again after many years. Some other viruses behave this way.

Can a man give a woman HPV?

The overall rate of HPV transmission from the penis to the cervix was 4.9/100 person-months, which was substantially lower than that from the cervix to the penis (17.4/100 person-months). Transmission between the hands and genitals, as well as apparent self-inoculation events (primarily in men), were also observed.

How long is HPV contagious?

That means it can spread to someone else through sex or close sexual contact and cause warts in that person. It’s hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there’s no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.

What can flush out HPV?

HPV can clear up naturally – as there is no cure for the underlying HPV infection, the only way to get rid of HPV is to wait for the immune system to clear the virus naturally.

Can pregnancy clear HPV?

Some recent studies did not observe differences in HPV status over time, during pregnancy [23-25]. Most authors, however, have found a reduction in HPV positivity during the postpartum period [26-29].