How man years can HPV be latent in men?

[anxioushusband]

My wife and I began dating in 1989 and we were married in 1993.  I have not had sex with anyone except my wife since we started dating in 1989. I was 26 years old in 1989 - prior to my relationship with her I had been sexually active, having had sex with 15 women. In 1998 my wife had a pap smear and a subsequent colposcopy showing an HPV infection. The following year, her pap smear showed the HPV was gone. My wife recently had a doctor tell her that she would have had to developed the HPV infection some time in 1996, 1997, or 1998. The doctor also told her that I would have had to have contracted this infection in the same time frame. In other words, the doctor is stating that I was unfaithful to her. I know this to be untrue. Is there any medical explanation for the 1998 HPV infection? I know I was not unfaithful and I believe my wife when she says she wasn't  either.

[ibizan]

According to the doctors in the experts forum-std's and u can browse the archives and read for self......HPV viruses clear the body in 6-12 months....then lie dormant.One can then be-xposed to another strain of 40 diff types and get a new one...u cannot get the same strain twice.This happened 10 years ago?Does she have a new strain???Confusing post....speaks of past not present!

[EastCoastGirl]

I don't know how long it can be latent in men, but my husband and i are in a similar situation. We have been married for a couple years, and recently I was diagnosed with genital warts. Neither my husband nor I have been unfaithful, so obviously one of us got it from a partner before we were together. (years ago). According to my gyno, it can lie dormant for years before someone has warts. What triggered mine, according to my doctor, was when I got the flu this year. She said my immune system was so run down from the flu, that the HPV virus flared up. Lo and behold, I looked at the timing, and the warts showed up about a week and a half after I had the flu. So rest easy, i think you're fine!

[mayflowers]

You or your wife were exposed to hpv prior to your marriage and then some sort of flu or cold could have lowered your wife's immune system and the hpv flared up as EastCoastGirl states.  Both you and your wife have the same strains.

I think this happens a lot.  All sexually active people will get at least one hpv within their lifetime.  It's so common it's considered normal (see some posts by Dr. Handsfield on the expert STD forum).  Basically it's unavoidable.  This is why they created the vaccine b/c it's so common.

While the immune system usually keeps the hpv in check, there are illness which can compromise the immune system like the flu, stress, bad eating habits, even having a baby.

Don't be too concerned about what the dr. says.  Many dr.'s are ignorant about hpv.  I read the dr's on this forum and then there are a few good websites to check out.  My own first dr. told me that hpv was "rare".  After doing some research about it, and finding this forum, I fired her and found a smarter dr.

[vmvnpv]

Not ALL sexually active people will get a form of the HPV virus.  While it is the most common STD, at least 50% of sexually active people will get HPV at some point in their lives.  Although I've also read that 75% of women will get a form of HPV in their lifetime.

[mayflowers]

Actually you are wrong.  The only people who don't get it are the ones that have never had a sexual encounter of any kind.  Read the expert STD forum, in particular Dr. Handsfield.  It is so common and most people don't know they have it.  There are 30 forms of sexually transmitted hpv.

In your case, apparantly ignorance is bliss.

[vmvnpv]

The Center for Disease Control says otherwise.  You can look it up yourself.  You may, in fact, be referring to the fact that, until recently, doctorss wouldn't give the HPV vaccine to non-virgins because the chances that they already had HPV were so high as to make getting the vaccine not worth it.  After someone has sex, for some medical reasons, it can be presumed that she has HPV.  (Key word, presumed.)  Not EVERYONE contracts HPV.

[vmvnpv]

I just wanted to say you don't have to be a b!tch about it either.  I, by no means, am trying to be ignorant.  I was just stating that everything I've read about the subject doesn't match up to what you are saying.  My thing is that it's assumed that everyone who is sexually active gets a form of HPV in their lifetime.  It's can't be proven though.  For example, I have never had an abnormal pap smear.  I know that doesn't mean anything and there's a chance I have gotten a form of HPV somewhere down the road (by either my husband because he's the only guy I've ever been sexually active with (but he has had 3 sexually active partners before me) or by a fomite) but no one can prove it without any tests being done.  And if it's cleared itself up then the tests will show up as being normal, still not proving I've ever had it.

[mayflowers]

Why are you bothering to comment on my posts?  I was posting to the OP.  You're being a little b!tchy yourself.   Ok just to humor you, yes, I've seen the CDC report but remember they are talking about "active" hpv cases.  For day-to-day information, I look towards Dr. Handsfield's posts.  If you ever get bored, try reading his old posts regarding hpv.  They are fascinating.

[Uppa]

There you go people... I've been with my girlfriend for about 5 months and we have been very very sexually active.

I get that head/chest cold/flu thing this year, then she get's it, then BAM - I have small itchy red bumps all over the head of my penis and a little around the foreskin.  I dont know if itchy fits into HPV or not, but it's itchy like poison oak almost...  right where you dont want it.  It's not boiling like poison oak though, nor have I been around the plant in years, so that's not it.  But it turns out - these itchy little red bumps aren't rare. Reading around there are a lot of unanswered posts about these little tyrants.

Anyone know what's going on?

[mayflowers]

I have copied this from a post to Dr. Handfield (expert on STD's)

The post is called "Status of a past HPV infection" and it is from hills22 dated 3/25/08:

"........You probably already have had one or more HPV infections, since every sexually active person gets them; if you have had sex with 3 or more different partners in your life, it's just about guaranteed.  And the most common HPV types are the high risk ones-- so you've likely had a high risk HPV infection.  In other words, the fact that you know about this particular partner's infection doesn't change all the others who were infected you didn't know about.

Oral HPV infection is uncommon. The genital HPV types apparently don't infect the mouth and throat very well, and when they do, the infection just about always remains asymptomatic.  It is true that oral cancer rates are rising, and some (but not all) such cancers are related to HPV.  However, it remains a very rare disease; for every person exposed orally to HPV, it's a good bet that not many more than 1 in a million get oral cancer.  It really isn't anything to worry about.

Bottom line:  Never let HPV interfere with a rewarding sexual relationship.  It makes sense to take reasonable steps to avoid a known, active infection, such as condoms for vaginal sex if warts or other newly diagnosed HPV infection is present.  Otherwise, just go for it and don't worry about HPV consequences.  Serious outcomes are too rare to be a concern."

[ibizan]

Glad u r researching the Experts Forum...if more ppl would do that and thoroughly read Drs.Hook and Handsfields responses to ppl there would be less confusion on this multi-faceted virus!

[tiffany997]

I hope all goes well.  I don't believe that you or your wife was unfaithful.  One of the doctors stated on another post that "If HPV is your only suspicion, it has no basis."  If that is the case then who knows how this is spread.

[ibizan]

Dr.HHH has been researching HPV for over 30 years...read his resume on the forum!he has gathered plenty of research data on what is absolute about HPV and what is not....and u might be twisting urself up less if u'd accept that!

[Reena21]

Hello doctor. I was daignosed with HPV, HSV and Trichomonas. in 2006. I got the treatment for them. I got this from my Ex-boyfrnd. however we never had a sexual relationship with him. Now i am getting married to a different person and he does'nt have any of these types. I am worried will i Tramsfer or Transmit these Infections to him.

Please let me know abt it .  

[Reena21]

Hello doctor. I was daignosed with HPV, HSV and Trichomonas. in 2006. I got the treatment for them. I got this from my Ex-boyfrnd. however we never had a sexual relationship with him. Now i am getting married to a different person and he does'nt have any of these types. I am worried will i Tramsfer or Transmit these Infections to him.

Please let me know abt it .  

[tina539]

Well that little comment about oral cancers on the rise is an understatement.  My husband has just been diagnosed with neck cancer.  HPV the cause.  He has been my only partner and I truly believe he has been faithful since we got together 30 years ago.  It is being determined now that up to HALF of the throat and neck cancers in men are related to the hpv. hpv can lie dormant for decades.  Research is now showing it can be spread through a handshake as the virus can live on the hands particularly under the fingernails.  

[worriedwart2009]

HPV can lie dormont for many years, or go by unnoticed and rear up again later, it is a virus, there is just no garunteed time frame! I would not suspect cheating in an otherwise happy marraige!!!!
As to the statistics, again there is no definate number BUT accoding to the doctors on this forum round 80% of sexually active ppl will have it in their life, according an STD specialist here in London (who has been soley studying the wart virus for over 30yrs) he believes around 70-75%, I would therefore believe these are close and a good estimate!!
Uppa: as for the itchy red bumps...get them checked out, mine where driving my mad, they where so itchy!!! Some ppl itch, some ppl dont!
Good luck!