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My GF is diagnosed with HPV
Hello. I'll try to keep this short and simple.
I have a new girlfriend and we started to have a long-distance relationship. At the very beginning of our relationship, we had sex two to four times a day for a week. I have always put the condom on, though oral sex was unprotected. Then she had to leave the town and we hoped to see each other soon again.
A month later, she told me about her PAP test and she had a high risk type of hpv (probably 16).
Now I am confused about seeing her again. I have kept the relationship alive but I am really not sure if I should keep having 'protected' genital intercourse with her.
Since there's no way to detect hpv in men, I realize that even if i stop seeing her, i can catch hpv from another future partner. I am pretty sure that i didn't have hpv before, as i consider my previous parters.
Any advise is much appreciated.
Regards.
I have a new girlfriend and we started to have a long-distance relationship. At the very beginning of our relationship, we had sex two to four times a day for a week. I have always put the condom on, though oral sex was unprotected. Then she had to leave the town and we hoped to see each other soon again.
A month later, she told me about her PAP test and she had a high risk type of hpv (probably 16).
Now I am confused about seeing her again. I have kept the relationship alive but I am really not sure if I should keep having 'protected' genital intercourse with her.
Since there's no way to detect hpv in men, I realize that even if i stop seeing her, i can catch hpv from another future partner. I am pretty sure that i didn't have hpv before, as i consider my previous parters.
Any advise is much appreciated.
Regards.
Whether you choose to keep seeing her is your choice - I really can't comment. If you care about her, I think it is a silly reason to discontinue a relationship. Unless your future partners have never had ANY type of sexual interaction, they will most likely have HPV. If they haven't had any type of sexual interaction (not intercourse) then they are taking a risk in being with you.
There is no way to know how long she has had HPV - she likely had it prior to the diagnosis. You've had intercourse with her since her diagnosis - with a condom? There really isn't such a thing as 'protected' intercourse when it comes to HPV, condoms are only 70% effective not 100%. Know that it is almost guaranteed that you likely have at least on strain of HPV. Whether it was from her or from a previous partner. You most likely wouldn't have any idea that you have HPV. That is the thing with this virus, people are transmitting it back and forth competely unknowingly for the most part. Remember the statistic - 80% of people will have an active infection by the time they are 50. That is a really high number! I meet people everyday that think they don't have it - claim outright they don't have HPV but the people who claim that obviously don't know enough about HPV or else they wouldn't say it. Unless a person is a virgin in every sense of the word (not just intercourse wise), HPV cannot be ruled out.
This isn't to say that HPV is so rampant there is no point in trying to protect ourselves from it. Not in the least! BUT - if you truly care about her, then does it matter if she has HPV? Your next partner may have it and be completely unaware of it and then transmit it to you (or give you a new strain).
What does your heart tell you? Are you questioning the relationship because you feel she was unfaithful or because of the HPV?
There is no way to know how long she has had HPV - she likely had it prior to the diagnosis. You've had intercourse with her since her diagnosis - with a condom? There really isn't such a thing as 'protected' intercourse when it comes to HPV, condoms are only 70% effective not 100%. Know that it is almost guaranteed that you likely have at least on strain of HPV. Whether it was from her or from a previous partner. You most likely wouldn't have any idea that you have HPV. That is the thing with this virus, people are transmitting it back and forth competely unknowingly for the most part. Remember the statistic - 80% of people will have an active infection by the time they are 50. That is a really high number! I meet people everyday that think they don't have it - claim outright they don't have HPV but the people who claim that obviously don't know enough about HPV or else they wouldn't say it. Unless a person is a virgin in every sense of the word (not just intercourse wise), HPV cannot be ruled out.
This isn't to say that HPV is so rampant there is no point in trying to protect ourselves from it. Not in the least! BUT - if you truly care about her, then does it matter if she has HPV? Your next partner may have it and be completely unaware of it and then transmit it to you (or give you a new strain).
What does your heart tell you? Are you questioning the relationship because you feel she was unfaithful or because of the HPV?
So, are you recommending me to keep seeing her, although I am pretty sure that i didn't have HPV before I met her and I have very unlikely caught it since I touched her only for one week and I used protection?
You are not able to truly know whether you have HPV - mostly likely you have already been exposed to one or more strains of the virus in a past relationships. For the majority of people there are no symptoms or ill-effects. Most people never have an idea that they have HPV, women included. The Digene test (only FDA approved HPV test) is only tested on women and it can only detect active strains of the virus, and whether those active strains are of the high risk category (potential to cause cancer) or the low risk category (potential to cause genital warts). If the virus is dormant at the time of testing it is will not detect it and HPV has an ability to lay dormant for years (over 20 even) before becoming active - IF it ever does. So, even if a women tests negative on an HPV test it does not mean that she is HPV 'free'. Condoms are only 70% effective in stopping the transmission of HPV. It is a skin virus and is transmitted through skin to skin (genital) contact, not secretions or fluids. It is incredibly common and easily contracted - 80% of people will have an active infection by the time they are 50! Most will never have any idea.
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