10 years later

[ohgrasshopper]

When I was 16 (i'm 25 now) my Dr. found abnormal cells on my pap smear. I had Cyro-something done to freeze cells off of my cervix.  Since then I have been to an OBGYN every year and have NEVER had another abnormal pap.

Last visit I asked my Dr. about my HPV.  She told me that since none of my other pap tests since then have showed HPV that I didn't have it.  I asked her how that was possible and she said that my old Dr. had misdiagnosed me because I don't have it now, and that sometimes that happens. She assured me it was safe to have unprotected sex with my boyfriend.

Recently I have discovered a small bump next to my vaginal opening and a similar one on the very inside of my anus.  The don't hurt, aren't *****, they aren't red in color and don't seem to be getting any bigger or smaller.  The feel like they are attached by a small piece of skin, not really like they are growing out of the skin like a pimple.  MOst of the pictures of warts online look like huge painful messes.  What I have is very simple and very small.  They have been there for about a month and half.  I assumed at first that it was an ingrown hair...untill i found the one on my anus.

I have an appointment with a Dr. soon, but in the meantime I was wondering
(1) if you could tell me if it sounds like warts to you.  

(2)Is it possible to have warts now if all my pap smears for the past 10 years have been normal?

(3) How likely is it that I have passed this to my boyfriend?  We've been having unprotected sex (i'm on the pill) for about a year.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

First, you can be almost positive you had HPV at age 16.  HPV is virtually the only thing that causes "abnormal cells" of the cervix that require cryotherapy.  But having had cryotherapy plus normal paps for the next several years, that infection probably is long gone.  You don't describe your sex life between age 16 and now.  Since you apparently have been sexually active over the years, you might well have been infected again.  The HPV types most commonly responsible for abnormal cells on pap smear are different than the types that cause warts; so if you have warts, probably they are due to a new HPV infection.

1) However, I don't think you have warts.  Soft skin bumps that seem to be attached by a stalk sound more like skin tags than warts.  (Skin tags are normal anatomic variants, not a sign of any disease or infection.)  However, this is only a guess; you need to follow through with your plan to see a health care provider.

2) Yes.  HPV of the cervix and HPV causing warts are different problems.

3) If you have an active HPV infection, whether warts or another type, you can be sure your partner has had the infection as well.  In that case, there is no way to know which of you had it first.  But that doesn't matter anyway; see my latest response to "curious57" in the thread immediately before this one.

Bottom line: See a health care provider as planned.  But don't lose a lot of sleep about HPV one way or the other.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[ohgrasshopper]

I went to the Dr. this afternoon.  She told me that indeed it was a wart.  A single very small one, but still a wart.  She put some burning stuff on it and said it will fall off in a few days and after that i can start to have sex again.  She also told me that the virus will most likely clear up in 6-9 months.  

Is it safe to have unportected sex with my boyfriend after the wart falls off?  Or do i need to wait for 6-9 months?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

If you have been having sex with your boyfriend, then he already is infected with the HPV strain that is causing your warts.  Perhaps he is the source of your infection.  In any case, since you already are sexually active with him, there is no need to stop now.  

However, if he is a new partner and you haven't yet had sex with him, he could be at risk.  But there are no firm guidelines about how long you might carry the virus and be able to transmit it.  Your provider's advice about 6-9 months is pretty similar to mine (I usually advise 6 months).  Or you could not worry about it so much, and use condoms--not perfect protection but pretty good.

HHH, MD