If you have ever had sexual intercourse or plan on having sex in the future, there’s a pretty good chance you either currently have HPV, have had HPV in the past, or will have HPV in the future. According to the American Cancer Society, some physicians believe HPV infection may be as common as the cold. Between 50% to 75% of sexually active people will have HPV in their lifetime.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a group of over 150 viruses. More than 40 of those viruses are sexually transmitted causing genital warts, oral viruses, and even cancers of the cervix, vulva, penis, anus, rectum, and throat. HPV infections can last from one to several years and may have no symptoms at all or may develop papillomas, which are warts or noncancerous tumors, lesions, and cancerous changes. In most cases, the body’s immune system will kill the virus in about a year. Still, according to the National Cancer Institute, “persistent HPV infections are now recognized as the cause of essentially all cervical cancers.” A monogamous relationship and condom use are both associated with lower HPV-infection rates; the addition of Gardasil and Cervarix have also shown protection against several high-risk strains of HPV.

Because it is difficult to know if someone has HPV, women should follow the recommended screening guidelines and receive routine Pap tests. You may not be able to prevent HPV infection entirely, but you can certainly help prevent cervical cancer by detecting HPV-induced pre-cancerous cervical changes via a Pap test.