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Likelihood of recurrence?

I'm posting this question in hopes that someone who has some special insight on the issue of genital warts recurrence and duration of hpv infection can evaluate the likelihood that I will experience a genital warts recurrence in the future and/or pass on the warts to future partners.

I think something that makes my case unique is that when my warts appeared, I hadn't had sex for 7-8 months. The person I had sex with then, I had only had sex with once, so I had definitely first come in contact with the virus at least 7-8 months before the appearance of the warts. My warts cleared after 3-4 months of treatment and I have been clear for about two months now. So it has now been over a year since my original contact with the virus. I have read that 20% to 60% of cases recur in the first three months. I'm 2 thirds of the way through that 3 months period, plus I've read that the hpv infection will resolve itself between 8 months and 2 years, the average being about 1 year. So if I go the next month without a recurrence, is it safe to assume that the infection has resolved itself? I still plan on using condoms every time I have sex for the next few months as a precaution, but is this generally something I won't have to worry about too much, as long as I'm using condoms?
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Avatar universal
Don't you freaking hate that!? No one knows our bodies better than us, yet so often (especially in regards to gws) we are told "I don't see anything" just to come back a month later to get a confirmation in what we tried to show them the first time! Drives me bonkers..
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Avatar universal
Got another update. I had the 6 new warts removed, the big wart that was previously thought to be a scar was removed but some bumpyness quickly returned along with 8 very small warts. Just had all those frozen a couple days ago. This is getting kind of depressing because I've been receiving treatment for this for almost 7 months now and have still not achieved a clinical cure. I think I will start going for treatments weekly rather than every other week. I'm frustrated but still hopeful because the severity of my outbreaks has reduced dramatically since I was first diagnosed. Something that I have learned is that I should really push for an area to be treated if I think it's a wart. There are at least 3 occasions on which I had doctors tell me "that's a hair follicle" or "that's a scar", left the lesion for 1 month+ only to later find that it's a wart.
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Avatar universal
Give up cigs, reduce alcohol drinking a lot or just stop.  Exercise often. Eat healthy, take vitamins to boost your immune system. Get more rest and reduce stress. Some of us believe that this will help reduce the odds of re-occurrence.
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Avatar universal
Nobody really seems to know that the lifestyle you live matters in terms of your body clearing the virus some people believe this and others don't. But don't worry in its own time your body will deal with and you can get back to living a normal life although always keep a keen eye out for new warts as they can be rather small so they're hard to notice.
Wish you luck and hope this helped!
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Avatar universal
Hey there. Just thought I'd post an update. Just a couple days after posting the original message I discovered 6 new warts in my pubic area. I went to the clinic today to get them frozen. I also had the doctor look at what I thought was just a scar from previous liquid nitrogen treatments but she believed it was a wart so she froze that too as well as a small bump beside it which was also probably a wart. So I guess with the knowledge that what I thought was a scar was actually a wart, I wasn't really clear of warts and I guess I've really had no sure clear period for the 5 and a half months that I've been going for treatment. I quit smoking when I found out I had genital warts because I heard that smoking makes it worse, but I have a feeling my drinking habits are making it harder for my body to fight the virus. I would estimate I consume an average of 25 to 30 alcoholic beverages a week. Also my eating habits are poor. I usually just eat one or two sandwiches throughout the day. Also I don't exercise. I think I'll be trying to make some changes in my life to see if this helps the warts go away. Not to mention just for the sake of being healthier.
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563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
Scientists now think that the HPV infection that clears up on its own remains dormant in your body.  it can stay dormant or it can come back again.  Why it comes back isn't exactly known. So if you had any episode free interval, even then the virus may be lying dormant.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.


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