HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus. It's a virus that is primarily spread through sexual contact. There are many different types (or strains) of HPV that cause different things in different people. For the most part, HPV just hangs out in our bodies and we don't know it (called "asymptomatic"). However, when it wants to cause a mess it can.

Some HPV strains cause genital warts. Just like they sound, these are warts that pop up in your genital region. Genital warts can come and go for the rest of your life. Other HPV strains are more serious and can cause cancer. Specifically, they can cause cervical cancer in women and mouth/throat cancer in BOTH sexes.

HPV is a problem because, like most other viruses, there is not a cure. The best thing to do is to try to protect your body from catching this. You can do this one of two ways. The first is to use a condom or dental dam with any type of sex (oral, vaginal, anal). The second is to get vaccinated against HPV.

How does the HPV vaccine work? That's a topic for another day.