A new study suggests that Human papillomavirus (HPV) may make it more difficult to conceive with in vitro fertilization (IVF). The study that was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, only 17 women in the group of more than 100 tested positive for HPV.

The ABC news reports that researchers from New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center found that women who tested positive for HPV were about half as likely to conceive from IVF compared to women who tested negative.

Papillomaviruses are a diverse group of DNA-based viruses that infect the skin and mucous membranes of humans and a variety of animals. More than 100 different human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been characterized. HPVs associated with the development of such "common warts" are transmitted environmentally or by casual skin-to-skin contact.

A separate group of about 30 HPVs are typically transmitted through sexual contact. Genital HPV infection is very common, with estimates suggesting that up to 75 percent of women will become infected with one or more of the sexually-transmitted HPV types at some point during adulthood (Baseman 2005). Some sexually-transmitted HPVs, such as types 6 and 11, can cause genital warts.