Reproductive health needs of Human papillomavirus (HPV) positive women: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus is one of the most important causes of cervical cancer. Participating in an HPV test and receiving an HPV diagnosis can create questions about the needs and preferences. The present systematic review was conducted to determine the reproductive health needs of women with HPV. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Magiran, SID and Iranmedex. Without language restrictions and time constraints. We also searched the grey literature and carried out forward/backward citation searches. RESULTS: In the first, 1056 articles were retrieved, and, after removing them, 13 articles published were entered. The studies were qualitative (N = 9), quantitative (N = 3), and one was unclear. Most qualitative studies collected data using individual interviews (N = 7), two qualitative studies, narratives of HPV patients from a website of patient experiences and questions. Women wanted further information on different HPV viral types, transmission, implications for sexual partners, prevalence, latency and regression of HPV, their management options and the implications of infection for cancer risk and fertility. Women’s experience of searching the Internet for further information about HPV was reported as difficult, anxiety provoking and contributing to the stigma of the infection because information was often located in the context of other sexually transmitted infections, with multiple sexual partners highlighted as a risk factor for infection. CONCLUSION: Surveys showed that the majority of women had unanswered questions about their HPV test results. The information that women thought was helpful in interpreting their test results included having a high-risk type of HPV, and cancer survival statistics for the virus. Women also needed information about sexual transmission, how HPV tested positive in a long-term relationship, and the potential consequences for their partners and the risk of re-infection. Younger women had questions about whether HPV could affect fertility.