risk for hpv transmission

I am a woman currently in a relationship with a man who has HPV.  We have been together about 3 months and have not had intercourse.  His last outbreak of genital warts was over two years ago and he recently got circumcised to reduce his chances of infecting me.  I also am currently getting the HPV vaccine (I have received the first shot and am due for the second of the three shots in a couple weeks).  I am still concerned about contracting the virus, as I have no STDs.  Should I still be worried if we have safe sex after I have received all three shots of the vaccine?  I guess I just want to be 100% sure I will not contract the virus before I have sex with him.  Is that a possibility?  I know there is currently no HPV test for men to determine what strain he has, if indeed he still has the virus.  

[ibizan]

i am confused here..u say man has HPV but has not had a wart outbreak for 2 years?he got circumcised cuz he had warts on his foreskin?is this what ur saying?The doctors in this forum say the body clears HPV viruses in 6-18 months and if someone is cleared from the warts for at least 6-9 months then they are not infectious.

[bk21]

He originally had an outbreak over 15 years ago and then had another outbreak a little over 2 years ago.  Both times, the outbreak was on the foreskin.  Because there is no test for HPV in men, we don't know what strain or strains he has, but the doctor recommended circumcision because it is healthier and there is less of a chance of transmission.  The doctor told him that the virus could be dormant in his immune system, but because he has had multiple partners over the years, including one within the last five years who also had HPV, he may have been reinfected with another strain - I don't know.  All I know is that it has been 3 months since he last had sex, so if we wait another 4 months to have sex (that is when my third vaccination will be), and he has had no outbreaks in the meantime, then should his body be cleared of any infection he might have acquired within the last year or so?  Sorry if I'm confusing!

[ibizan]

has this man used condoms with other partners?have u?does he have visible warts now?if so even if u use condoms u run a risk of getting warts from him since it is a skin virus.a man can carry high risk hpv which is non-wart bearing and he'd never know he has it...no test for that..he could give that to u as well.....women can get high risk which is the cervical dysplasia and low risk at the same time!u can get the third vaccine but it will not protect u from any hpv virus u may carry now in ur system.these answers u must choose....no easy ones or ironclad guarantee that u won't get warts from him..if u choose to have sex then use condoms.

[bk21]

I do not have any STDs - I am a virgin and have not had intercourse.  I have been to the gynecologist and been checked out for everything, had a pap and HPV test, and I am all clear.  This is why I am hesitant about this whole situation.  He has used condoms with other partners, however, the last longterm relationship he had was with a woman who also had HPV, and since they both had it, he engaged in unprotected sex with her.  I guess I need to find out if her HPV was high or low risk, as that would be the last strain he was exposed to - he was with this woman when he had his last breakout over two years ago, but has not been with her for about six months now.  Like I said before, he has had intercourse with someone else after her (about three months ago, just before he met me), and he did use a condom.  He does not have visible warts now, and when he went to the urologist to see about being circumcised, the doctor put him under the light to examine him, and did not see any warts at all.  Is it possible he no longer has the virus and is at a lower risk of transmitting it to me since he has now gotten circumcised and will us condoms with me if we indeed do have sex?  Thanks for all your help!  

[bk21]

Oh, and just to be clear, he has not had any kind of outbreak since the last one - two years ago.

[ibizan]

it is pointless to find out if woman had high or low risk hpv.....since he had warts he picked them up from her or another..and if he hasn't had them for 2 years and they r not visible the liklihood is high he has cleared this virus!if u 2 have decided to be in a relationship and i hope monogomous....i'm one of those ppl who believe in that.... it is wise to use condoms..and for u to get on birth control....ur wise woman to think about this and consider ur health as number one here...sounds like he is considerate and caring of u as well which is cool!:)

[rw93535]

just so you know, the vaccines you are getting DO NOT prevent all sexually-transmitted forms of HPV, but only a few. There are many others out there that the vaccines do not cover.

Unfortunately, since there are no HPV tests for males, you cant know for sure which type he was infected with. (Talk about reversed sexism!!!)

Either way, I agree with Ibizan:  Chances are he has probably already cleared the virus and is no longer infectious.