Aa
Genital wart or pimple??
I have a small raised bump on my vagina. It is reddish in color and looks as if it would be a pimple but I'm very unsure. I don't seem to have any kind of symptoms except for uncomfort down there. Please helpp!!
Best Answer
By all means hijack away Das. You're posts are usually a bit more specific than mine.
Thanks for responding vandy.... and yes, I haven't been around in a bit. For pretty good reason... I don't want to hijack this one's thread, but I'll be posting a long post relatively soon.
I had 3 abnormal paps and 3 colposcopys. Every time the colpscopy was low grade and I was told I needed to just "keep an eye on it". I think the 3 times I had HPV it was from different partners. The genital warts arising was separate from these 3 occasions. I just really dont want them to come back. And I am hoping I don't have to tell my boyfriend about it. We have been together for a year and I am very embarassed about this. Thanks
Danielle, Das hasn't been around a whole lot lately so I'll help you out if you don't mind. His info comes from a study that got a lot of posts a little while back that dealt with PCR DNA testing of genital skin swabs. They collect skin cells and then somehow test them for HPV DNA. Every time a subject is tested, the HPV DNA becomes less and less detectable until at some point, there is no detection at all even to the utmost sensitivity. They then charted the time it took for test subjects to go to zero DNA detection and it was found that by two years out, over 90% showed no sign of HPV. They also found that the average time to zero was between 1.2 and 1.6 years or something like that. On the rare occasion where HPV lasted longer than two years, it never lasted more than three.
The experts on this website, under the "Ask An Expert -STDs" forum, agree that if you have gone longer than six months without and outbreak of warts or an abnormal pap test, then you can consider yourself cleared of the virus and no longer contagious to future partners. You should now realize that you can stop worrying about a future outbreak of warts of this particular strain. In fact, they agree that you are under no obligation to inform future partners of this past infection unless it's something you want to do.
If you were tested neg and then pos later, do you remember if it was for high risk or low risk? I must confess that I am not as knowledgeable of what HPV can do inside the vagina. You may need to peruse this site some or find out from your medical provider.
The experts on this website, under the "Ask An Expert -STDs" forum, agree that if you have gone longer than six months without and outbreak of warts or an abnormal pap test, then you can consider yourself cleared of the virus and no longer contagious to future partners. You should now realize that you can stop worrying about a future outbreak of warts of this particular strain. In fact, they agree that you are under no obligation to inform future partners of this past infection unless it's something you want to do.
If you were tested neg and then pos later, do you remember if it was for high risk or low risk? I must confess that I am not as knowledgeable of what HPV can do inside the vagina. You may need to peruse this site some or find out from your medical provider.
DasKapital - where did you get your information about recurrence rates? I have been wart free for around a year and a half and am very worried they may come back. I was tested negative for HPV and then positive again later and I have read very conflicting things about recurrence rates. Thanks!
mimi416's words should be scripture to you ong. In fact, to all who are freaking out about HPV. If you are still worried, read and reread her post and all posts that tell the personal story that warts are scary at first but then you understand the truth and come to terms and them sometime after that they are gone. Like my buddy said, it's just a minor inconvenience that allows you to learn a thing or two about life and re-evaluate perhaps and then you're back and you haven't really missed much in the mean time.
Peace
Peace
Let me add in my two cent. GW is NO BIG DEAL. Even if you have it, it will go away. I noticed I had GW in early december and didn't get it checked out until beginning of Jan. I had two treatments since and they are completely gone now.
Regardless, sooner or later, it will be gone. Just like how a cold works, but in longer duration. Make sure you get yours checked, and if it is GW indeed, goto your gyno and get your pap smears and make sure you don't have any changing cells ( this is more serious than warts). But even if you have changing cells, they can be treated and nothing bad will ever happen. But make sure you take all the precaution if you do end up having GW.
Good Luck and No Worries.
Regardless, sooner or later, it will be gone. Just like how a cold works, but in longer duration. Make sure you get yours checked, and if it is GW indeed, goto your gyno and get your pap smears and make sure you don't have any changing cells ( this is more serious than warts). But even if you have changing cells, they can be treated and nothing bad will ever happen. But make sure you take all the precaution if you do end up having GW.
Good Luck and No Worries.
Mine turned out being warts but I also did have more than one. I had at least three other noticeable bumps and many more that I wasn't even aware of (that my doctor found).
A also agree with vandykd3 and daskapital, it may be shocking to find out at first but once the shock subsides, you will realize that it isn't such a big deal.
If you just noticed it yesterday, don't be too worried, it's likely to go away and not be a wart. If it does persist, have it checked out and you will be okay.
A also agree with vandykd3 and daskapital, it may be shocking to find out at first but once the shock subsides, you will realize that it isn't such a big deal.
If you just noticed it yesterday, don't be too worried, it's likely to go away and not be a wart. If it does persist, have it checked out and you will be okay.
vandy knows what he's talking about too. Like I said, they have certainly been known to show up one at a time, but they *tend* to show up in clusters. Also, watch how it develops. If it grows, it's definitely something you want to get looked at.
One last thing about HPV that may make you feel better if it does turn out to be a wart. Everybody gets it. If you have had sex with more than 2 people, there's a very high likelihood that you either are or have been infected with HPV anyway (and probably will be again, just with a different strain). One way or another, having sex means contracting HPV... it's inconvenient, it's stressful, but it is 100% normal. In fact, people who DON'T get HPV are the rare ones. As I'm sure you've seen, 85% (and probably more than that) of people contract one or more strains of HPV in their lifetime, and 90+% of these infections clear up on their own. Trust me and vandy, you will be okay, even if it is a wart.
One last thing about HPV that may make you feel better if it does turn out to be a wart. Everybody gets it. If you have had sex with more than 2 people, there's a very high likelihood that you either are or have been infected with HPV anyway (and probably will be again, just with a different strain). One way or another, having sex means contracting HPV... it's inconvenient, it's stressful, but it is 100% normal. In fact, people who DON'T get HPV are the rare ones. As I'm sure you've seen, 85% (and probably more than that) of people contract one or more strains of HPV in their lifetime, and 90+% of these infections clear up on their own. Trust me and vandy, you will be okay, even if it is a wart.
The two times my HPV showed up was as a single wart. How long's it been since you had unprotected sex with someone you can't 100% vouch for? I'm with DasKapital, head in to the doctor or dermalologist and see what's up. It's nothing to freak out about. Just get it looked at.
I just noticed it earlier today and I'm kind of freaking out. Did yours turn out just to be pimples if you don't mind me asking? I'm nervous to get it checked out, and it is only one bump
How long has it been there? If it has been there for a week or more, you may want to consider getting it checked out. I thought mine were pimples for about a month before I decided to get it checked out.
You are reading content posted in the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
You'll need to get it checked out regardless if it doesn't resolve on its own within a week or two. That said, genital warts usually develop in small clusters. If it is just one, that suggests against it being a wart. That isn't to say that they don't develop one at a time, but they just tend to show up in little bunches. Get it checked out though.
One thing to keep in mind, even if it is a wart, it's certainly not the end of the world. Just get it treated, keep an eye on it, and keep your gyno and dermatologist appointments. Cases of genital warts clear up in about 9 months (on average). In several medical studies, low-risk HPV (wart causing) has been shown to clear up in about 70% of women within a year. It clears up in about 90% of women within two years, and although there are no real data to support it, it's suspected that the rest clear up after that (one Swedish study showed that less than 10% of women who tested positive for HPV at one point were negative for HPV five years down the road.)