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PLEASE HELP!! HPV ASSISTANCE!!

Hello all.
I am in desperate need of some assistance.

I had a pap smear done nov of 2010. It came back normal. I'm not sure if I had an HPV test done also. I don't really know what the standard HPV test really is.

Anyways, I've noticed two veryyy small bumps (almost like skin tags) at the opening of my butthole. They are the same color as my skin and they don't itch, hurt or anything. Could it be genital warts? I'm scared to the absolute max.

What does a normal pap smear mean? Does it mean i don't have a high risk HPV strain? does it also check for low risk like warts? Is it possible that i still may have a high risk HPV strain with a normal pap smear?

PLEASEEEE help me understand.

thanks in advance.
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Avatar universal
A Normal pap smear is a good thing! Its when the doctor tells you that your results came back abnormal, is when you should worry. Even then, a biopsy will be done to determine the "grade" or risks you may be at for cervical cancer or abnormal cells causing warts. I just recently found out, after 2 abnormal paps, a leep procedure and 2 colposcopies that I have genital warts. But only because I'm pregnant and my horomones have gone hay-wire! Inbetween these appts I had 2 normal paps! Don't worry about the little bumps unless they are irritating! Could be ingrown hairs :) best advice, get checked out, and hang in there :)
Helpful - 0
1609501 tn?1299201602
Oh yes, sorry I forgot to address that part of your post. Typically the immune system will fight the strain (s) within 24 months. At this point you will no longer have symptoms or test positive. This can be less than 24 month or longer.

Don't be upset about asking that is what the forum is for and we all lose our minds at first! ;)

Ok, so.. if you have warts and they pass with our without treatment the rule is wait 3 to 6 months and if you don't have more warts then you can assume the strain is now dormant and have sex without disclosure. For me I can't agree to this for a few reasons but we have to all decide what we think is right for us. As for paps and high risk strains. A pap will only tell someone they have a high risk strain if there is abnormal cells found. This is called dyplasia. Many people have HPV strains without having any symptoms and so they have no idea they are passing it to others. I think it is one of the reasons HPV is so common. Another reason is because it is passed via gentail skin to skin contact and not via fluid exchange. There is no standard testing for men and normally a yearly GYN visit doesn't include HPV testing. It is just when a woman requests it or a pap is abnormal that tests are run. Even then most offices don't type the strains you have they just tell you that you have high, low or both.

In my case I have both high risk with the mildest level of cell changes and I have low risk with warts. It took me 3 doc visits for the docs to see the warts I knew I was finding.
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Avatar universal
Mags

So, is it possible to fight off the virus? To the point where you cannot pass on the virus? As I asked earlier, how can you tell when you've fought off the virus if there is no standard way of testing?I noticed these two dots around 7 months ago. they haven't changed the slightest bit. I didn't think much about them at the time, because I seriously had to LOOK for them.

Also, does a pap smear check for all high risk HPV?

I'm sorry for all the questions. I'm new to this and have quite frankly, lost my mind!
Helpful - 0
1609501 tn?1299201602
Low risk warts inside the vagina that isn't viewable with the eye is determined when a doc looks in there not via testing. You can be tested for HPV that will show if you currently have high and low risk strains. My doc doesn't test to tell exactly what strain #'s those are.

My warts are actually small too just the pics make them look big. :) They are at the opening of my vagina, along the lower lip area. It's not easy to know what is what and that is why it is best to just have a doc to make the determination.
Helpful - 0
1306047 tn?1333243591
The HPV test as you put it is a mix of things depending on the strain you have, high-risk or low-risk.  High-risk HPV causes the cell changes that can be precursor to cervical cancer and are found during your pap exam.  In men there are no symptoms of this.  Warts are usually ID'd via visual inspection but to really know for sure you have to remove them and send the skin to a lab for biopsy.  It's the only true way to differentiate between warts, skin tags or some other benign thing.

It is possible to build an immunity to the strain that you have acquired.  Studies show it takes up to two year at the most and usually around a year to a year and a half.  This in no way protects you from the other host of strains out there.  There are lots of different high and low risk strains of HPV.  Research suggests you don't actually get rid of the virus but rather you suppress it with you immune system so that you no longer have any outbreaks and are therefore no longer a risk to other people.  After you have gone between three and six months without any HPV symptoms, be they warts for low-risk or abnormal cell changes in a pap smear, you can begin to think of yourself as having entered that stage where your immune system has suppressed it.  At that point you are most likely to a very high degree probability not contagious to any future partners.  

My warts don't look anything like Mags' either.  Her's are manifesting on a different type of skin cell than yours would be around your anus.  Mine were on the shaft and they just looked like plain old tiny little unassuming bumps.  It couldn't have been any less low key.  I wish I would have had them biopsied though at the time.  I've had five flare ups (a single bump twice and three and four even smaller ones the other three times) so it stands to good reason that it is warts, but I'd still like to have biopsied that first two times just to be exhausting the possibilities.  It's the head game that makes warts a big deal.  Medically they are not a big deal and after a couple years max you will no longer be contagious.  

The only thing I don't understand is how low-risk HPV warts are discovered inside the vagina.  On the lips you can see them and notice something is amiss. But what about inside?  Does a pap detect that?  Or is only high risk detected.  Mags, can you enlighten?

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Avatar universal
Well, I know my dr. check for the high risk HPV via pap smear because she mentioned something about that.
So, it is possible to build immunity to the virus and get rid of it all together? Like, you won't be able to pass it on? It's not like HIV, right? So, if you get the warts treated, and don't get anymore warts, how do you know if your body was "fought" off the virus??

Mags, what I am talking about looking nothing like what you have in your pictures. Mine are veryy small. They look like a piece of extra skin, more so than an actual pump. there are 2 of them.

what is the HPV test? I don't really understand.
Helpful - 0
1609501 tn?1299201602
It isn't typical that there is even an HPV test run with a yearly exam. So many people are not even aware they have a high risk strain unless a pap shows abnormal cell changes. If you do have warts that would be due to a low risk strain (s) and wouldn't be detected via a pap. Look at my pics for what my warts look like. Not all people have the same experience with warts so don't assume what yours are based on mine. Only a doc can confirm if you do have warts or not. As the poster above said, warts are not the end of the world. They usually pass within 24 months. After a month of acid treatments I am now using Aldara and have no new growth. I don't even know they are there unless I look to put the med on. Warts are contagious so take care with sexual activity til you know for sure what your bumps are. HPV is passed via sking to skin gential contact and condoms are about 90% effective.
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Avatar universal
A pap smear is the standard hpv test. A normal pap means that they didn't find the cell changes that are a precursor to cancer, so that is a good thing. Cancer is only caused by the high risk strains. The low risk strains of HPV are what cause warts, which are more of a nuisance than anything else. Warts are diagnosed mainly upon visual inspection, so you need to have a dr look at them. Just make an appointment and don't stress out. The worst part of having warts is that the treatments aren't very pleasant and you may feel bad about having a "disease." But they are so commonplace that your doctor won't judge you or anything. Your immune system fights the virus (both low and high risk) as well and many warts go away on their own in time.
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