my new boyfriend told me that he has hpv

He told me that he contracted it from some girl he dated about five years ago.  He had two warts on his penis which he had removed.  After that he started dating another girl who he gave the virus to.  He has had no symptoms in over three years and the warts never came back.  We have not had sex because of this.  What are the chances that he no longer has hpv?  I love him ( we were in a serious relationship about 13 years ago with each other).   This is causing me great anxiety and fear.  

[soscared872]

Whether or not he cleared them, and most likely your BF cleared them, your intuition should guide you.

There is no good number on the chances that he cleared the warts within the usual two year period. Does he have an unknown condition that affects his immunity? Does he smoke? Does he drink heavily? Smoking and heavy drinking have great impact on a body's immunity. Does he get sick more than once a year? I suspect you are both young (20s/early 30s) so that works in your favor - stronger immune systems.

Are you sure he's had no sex for three years? I don't want to plant fear in your mind, but just want to name some issues to think about.

[Griever3000]

I'm not medically licensed to give you any solid information but from what i have read it means that he has successfully cleared the virus, especially since he's been symptom free for over three years now. Not sure if you can still get it or not but chances are slim and very rare. I think its more of a personal decision at this point.

He may still have HPV but it is most probably in a dormant stage, where it doesn't cause any outbreaks. Some experts believe that its not contagious especially after such a long time with no outbreaks. Just practice safe sex i would say, use a condom. If you're still scared, talk to a medical professional for a better and more clear answer.

[Hollyv]

If he has not had an outbreak in 6 months, then you are fine. It would be unusual if he has no symptons that he would contagious. He is also honest that he disclosed this when he has not had symptoms in a long time. Condoms are not 100% effective but I would use them until you know that this will be a long term monogamous relationship. Good Luck.

[LightningF]

he's honest and straightforward from the start, that means you have a wonderful boyfriend. You should feel very proud of him, most men won't even tell you they ever had warts.

Considering that you are now still free from HPV, it's better if you take a HPV vaccine (like gardasyl) and always use condom whenever you have sex with him. Everything will be fine.

[Hollyv]

The previous poster suggested Gardasil. I don't think I would take advice from someone that cannot even spell the drug correctly. Gardasil is a personal choice with a drug that only covers 4 HPV types (out of over 100)--this needs to be discussed with your OB/Gyn and researched by you before you would consider taking it. It is an expensive drug and it can have side effects which routine paps do not have. You also state that you were in a relationship with this person 13 years ago. If you are over 26 it is not FDA approved for you and it has not been fully researched in your age group. If you have already been exposed to HPV, you may have had it with no symptoms and the drug would not be effective if you had been exposed to HPV but from the research it could cause other side effects. If he has had no symptoms in 3 years then he has cleared the virus just like most people do. HPV is a fact of life for most people that are sexually active, be safe but don't let the fear of this destroy your relationship.