If you contract HPV during your marriage, is it a sure sign that your spouse is cheating?
No, says Dr. Oz. The famed doctor recently stopped by HuffPost Live to debunk this myth and talk about human papillomavirus (HPV) -- the most common sexually transmitted infection.
"Because this virus can lie dormant for so many years, the first thing to do when you're diagnosed with an abnormal pap smear is not to divorce your loved one -- it's to look for other possibilites," Dr. Oz said. "It may still be the main explanation. I'm not going to write that off. But I don't think the blame game is as convincing a link as I thought before I taped this show."
Dr. Lauren Streicher, Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University, agreed that contracting the virus while married could point toward's a spouse's infidelity, but that it's not a telltale sign.
"It's the first thing I tell women when they're diagnosed with HPV. I say, 'Were both you and your husband virgins when you got married?' And unless both of you were virgins, then you may have contracted this years ago and not known it," she said.
According to the CDC, at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women will get the virus at some point in their lives. There are more than 40 types of HPV -- many of which do not have any symptoms, though there are others that can lead to more serious health problems such as genital warts and cervical cancer.
Click here for more information about HPV.
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