Hold the phone

Recently I was walking behind a female student who was complaining on her cell phone about her sex life and a recent visit to the VCU Student Health Clinic. I tried not to eavesdrop . but she was complaining loudly and, OK, I was interested.

I have worked at the VCU clinic for more than 20 years and sexual health issues are my life. Over the past two decades I have learned how easily health miscommunications can occur, especially when new medical recommendations overlap with fear about sexual health.

Anyway, back to the unhappy, worried, angry co-ed. A recent partner had told her he probably had the “HPV Virus.” She was angry because when she went to Student Health for her annual exam, the staff “wouldn’t test me for HPV or even do a Pap smear.”

First: HPV testing. HPV (the Human Papilloma Virus) is very common. Most sexually active people contract at least one strain of the invisible virus at some point in their lives. In three years most people are able to rid themselves of the virus, although some women whose bodies are not cleared of the virus are at an increased risk for cervical cancer. Student Health didn’t do her tests because current research indicates that testing too soon causes people anxiety, unneeded invasive procedures and does not provide any useful information.

Second: Pap smears. Current recommendations by both the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology state, “Pap smear screening should begin about three years after the onset of vaginal intercourse but no later than age 21.”

It was instantly clear to me that this student was younger than 21 or she had not been sexually active for at least three years, or both.

So what’s the moral of the story? Health miscommunications are common. Health care providers can’t clear up the miscommunication if you call your friends and not us. If something doesn’t make sense to you, it’s probably a miscommunication. Keep asking questions until things do make sense. At Student Health and the Wellness Resource Center, we really do care about keeping you both happy and healthy.