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5 Clear Questions about cervical HPV I can't seem to find answered anywhere else!
I am still..unclear about HPV... unfortunately! It seems like the most discussed HPV type, is genital warts, therefore, I have no questions concerning THAT type, but the type that can cause cervical cancer.. These questions are also relating to female to female intimacy.
A few questions, if you all don't mind...
1. Is the thin prep pap test the most comprehensive test for HPV?
2. How long after contracting HPV, does it take to show up on a pap test (again, not genital warts)?
3. Is it possible to get a false positive for HPV (not genital warts, but no pre-cancerous cells yet)after several surgeries in which different medications, including antibiotics, are administered, and have changed the bacterial formation within the vagina?
4. The doctor said it's highly unlikely to spread HPV(again, not warts) from one female to another, unless the genitals are rubbed together very directly, and there is touching of the mucous membranes.A girl friend contracted it from another woman she slept with who has it, and they were intimate in the aforementioned way. Said the chances of spreading HPV from touching oneself and then the other girl, or sharing toys, are basically impossible. I have heard otherwise... what about you guys?
5. I am HPV free, currently. Does anyone know anything about whether or not the HPV vaccinations are genuinly safe or not? IE-Zelnorm and Vioxx have drug recalls after years of being on the market, due to adverse effects that obviously didn't show up during research phases. I am 24, so I need to make the decision ASAP!
As I said (prbably an annoying amount of times), these questions are all about the HPV strains that can possibly cause cervical cancer.... not the strains that cause genital warts.
Thanks to all the helpful guys and girls that seem to occupy these forums! It's so much appreciated!
A few questions, if you all don't mind...
1. Is the thin prep pap test the most comprehensive test for HPV?
2. How long after contracting HPV, does it take to show up on a pap test (again, not genital warts)?
3. Is it possible to get a false positive for HPV (not genital warts, but no pre-cancerous cells yet)after several surgeries in which different medications, including antibiotics, are administered, and have changed the bacterial formation within the vagina?
4. The doctor said it's highly unlikely to spread HPV(again, not warts) from one female to another, unless the genitals are rubbed together very directly, and there is touching of the mucous membranes.A girl friend contracted it from another woman she slept with who has it, and they were intimate in the aforementioned way. Said the chances of spreading HPV from touching oneself and then the other girl, or sharing toys, are basically impossible. I have heard otherwise... what about you guys?
5. I am HPV free, currently. Does anyone know anything about whether or not the HPV vaccinations are genuinly safe or not? IE-Zelnorm and Vioxx have drug recalls after years of being on the market, due to adverse effects that obviously didn't show up during research phases. I am 24, so I need to make the decision ASAP!
As I said (prbably an annoying amount of times), these questions are all about the HPV strains that can possibly cause cervical cancer.... not the strains that cause genital warts.
Thanks to all the helpful guys and girls that seem to occupy these forums! It's so much appreciated!
I hope you figured out my typos in my post from yesterday - reading back thru it I can see I wasn't as awake as I thought I was...he he he ( really most days I am more literate than that...or at least so I"m hoping...I freely admit I frequently butcher the english language...lol )
Yes I did take your questions literally - by pap test I meant regular pap test, not the thin prep. I'm suprised your gyn is using the thin prep for everyone - it's not recommended because it actually causes a lot more anxiety than it's worth. Most of us contract low risk hpv infections at some point and there's not a damn thing you can do about them but worry and wait for them to clear. I couldn't quickly find info on how long until the thin prep detects a newly acquired hpv infection. You could email them and ask or ask HHH over on his board - he probably knows or can find the answer better than I can. I'm sure it's within a few weeks/months.
No one knows for sure if when a hpv infection is no longer able to be detected in someone if you can still transmit it at any point in the future. At this point it's presumed that if it can't be detected on the tests we have today that the risk of transmitting it to someone later on is too low to worry about. It's one of those grey areas of hpv that science still doesn't have all the answers for. I usually tell folks - do you worry about the wart you had on your fingers when you were 4 for a lifetime? or the wart you got on your foot at the gym when you were 25? same virus just different type of it and different location. Don't get hung up on it just because it's genital.
Only certain types of genital hpv are transmitted to the oral area and most of them aren't going to be symptomatic. Some over time ( as in long time ) can progress to oral cancers but thankfully the incidence of them is still fairly low ( don't smoke and you reduce your risk even more! ).
grace
Yes I did take your questions literally - by pap test I meant regular pap test, not the thin prep. I'm suprised your gyn is using the thin prep for everyone - it's not recommended because it actually causes a lot more anxiety than it's worth. Most of us contract low risk hpv infections at some point and there's not a damn thing you can do about them but worry and wait for them to clear. I couldn't quickly find info on how long until the thin prep detects a newly acquired hpv infection. You could email them and ask or ask HHH over on his board - he probably knows or can find the answer better than I can. I'm sure it's within a few weeks/months.
No one knows for sure if when a hpv infection is no longer able to be detected in someone if you can still transmit it at any point in the future. At this point it's presumed that if it can't be detected on the tests we have today that the risk of transmitting it to someone later on is too low to worry about. It's one of those grey areas of hpv that science still doesn't have all the answers for. I usually tell folks - do you worry about the wart you had on your fingers when you were 4 for a lifetime? or the wart you got on your foot at the gym when you were 25? same virus just different type of it and different location. Don't get hung up on it just because it's genital.
Only certain types of genital hpv are transmitted to the oral area and most of them aren't going to be symptomatic. Some over time ( as in long time ) can progress to oral cancers but thankfully the incidence of them is still fairly low ( don't smoke and you reduce your risk even more! ).
grace
So it clears often ... and is then not transmittable to future partners?
The thin prep pap is what my doctor uses routinely, therefore, I was wondering how long after transmission it shows up on this particular test. Still up to 20 years? Sorry, whenever I said "pap test" I meant the thin prep, I should have been more clear with my "five clear questions" haha.
So basically, unless the hands are washed between touching yourself and your partner, and there is no genital to genital contact and no shared toys... you are likely to get HPV from your female partner (as a female yourself). What about oral sex? Say the receiver of the oral sex, has cervical HPV(not warts)... will the giver end up with oral HPV? Or, if the receiver is clear and the giver has cervical HPV?
And last... if a person who has received a result conclusive of HPV... and a year later, receives a negative result... is the virus still transmittable to future partners?
Thanks so much for your help Grace! I've noticed you give great answers. SO helpful and really appreciated!
The thin prep pap is what my doctor uses routinely, therefore, I was wondering how long after transmission it shows up on this particular test. Still up to 20 years? Sorry, whenever I said "pap test" I meant the thin prep, I should have been more clear with my "five clear questions" haha.
So basically, unless the hands are washed between touching yourself and your partner, and there is no genital to genital contact and no shared toys... you are likely to get HPV from your female partner (as a female yourself). What about oral sex? Say the receiver of the oral sex, has cervical HPV(not warts)... will the giver end up with oral HPV? Or, if the receiver is clear and the giver has cervical HPV?
And last... if a person who has received a result conclusive of HPV... and a year later, receives a negative result... is the virus still transmittable to future partners?
Thanks so much for your help Grace! I've noticed you give great answers. SO helpful and really appreciated!
1. Is the thin prep pap test the most comprehensive test for HPV?
The hpv dna test is probably the most accurate but both are pretty good.
2. How long after contracting HPV, does it take to show up on a pap test (again, not genital warts)?
It can take 10, 20 or more years to actually show up on a pap test. A pap test doesn't actually test for hpv - it checks for cervical cell changes which can result from a hpv infection causing damage. The thin prep and hpv dna tests actually are not routinely recommended for women under 35 because they will pick up on low risk hpv tests that are more of a psychological worry than they need to be. 91% of them will "clear" from the body within 2 years ( most within 10 months ) so knowing you have one usually is just far more worry than it's worth.
3. Is it possible to get a false positive for HPV (not genital warts, but no pre-cancerous cells yet)after several surgeries in which different medications, including antibiotics, are administered, and have changed the bacterial formation within the vagina?
The specialized hpv tests are pretty specific in what they are looking for. You can check out the thin prep test's website for more info. they look for hpv dna - not for something that can be effected by bacteria or changes in the cervix.
4. The doctor said it's highly unlikely to spread HPV(again, not warts) from one female to another, unless the genitals are rubbed together very directly, and there is touching of the mucous membranes.A girl friend contracted it from another woman she slept with who has it, and they were intimate in the aforementioned way. Said the chances of spreading HPV from touching oneself and then the other girl, or sharing toys, are basically impossible. I have heard otherwise... what about you guys?
Hpv is pretty easily transmitted actually. It can be transmitted thru the hands ( they've done studies where they scrape under fingernails and find it there ). It can be transmitted thru sex toys too if they aren't cleaned in between sharing them. It's best transmitted thru direct skin on skin contact or as most of us call it - messing around or foreplay. It's estimated that if you've had 3 or more partners in your lifetime you've had hpv whether you knew it or not. It's THAT common.
5. I am HPV free, currently. Does anyone know anything about whether or not the HPV vaccinations are genuinly safe or not? IE-Zelnorm and Vioxx have drug recalls after years of being on the market, due to adverse effects that obviously didn't show up during research phases. I am 24, so I need to make the decision ASAP!
The info they have on them is 5+ years now. So far they have been found to be safe and well tolerated. They are still doing long term follow up to see if there is a need for a booster at some point.
grace
The hpv dna test is probably the most accurate but both are pretty good.
2. How long after contracting HPV, does it take to show up on a pap test (again, not genital warts)?
It can take 10, 20 or more years to actually show up on a pap test. A pap test doesn't actually test for hpv - it checks for cervical cell changes which can result from a hpv infection causing damage. The thin prep and hpv dna tests actually are not routinely recommended for women under 35 because they will pick up on low risk hpv tests that are more of a psychological worry than they need to be. 91% of them will "clear" from the body within 2 years ( most within 10 months ) so knowing you have one usually is just far more worry than it's worth.
3. Is it possible to get a false positive for HPV (not genital warts, but no pre-cancerous cells yet)after several surgeries in which different medications, including antibiotics, are administered, and have changed the bacterial formation within the vagina?
The specialized hpv tests are pretty specific in what they are looking for. You can check out the thin prep test's website for more info. they look for hpv dna - not for something that can be effected by bacteria or changes in the cervix.
4. The doctor said it's highly unlikely to spread HPV(again, not warts) from one female to another, unless the genitals are rubbed together very directly, and there is touching of the mucous membranes.A girl friend contracted it from another woman she slept with who has it, and they were intimate in the aforementioned way. Said the chances of spreading HPV from touching oneself and then the other girl, or sharing toys, are basically impossible. I have heard otherwise... what about you guys?
Hpv is pretty easily transmitted actually. It can be transmitted thru the hands ( they've done studies where they scrape under fingernails and find it there ). It can be transmitted thru sex toys too if they aren't cleaned in between sharing them. It's best transmitted thru direct skin on skin contact or as most of us call it - messing around or foreplay. It's estimated that if you've had 3 or more partners in your lifetime you've had hpv whether you knew it or not. It's THAT common.
5. I am HPV free, currently. Does anyone know anything about whether or not the HPV vaccinations are genuinly safe or not? IE-Zelnorm and Vioxx have drug recalls after years of being on the market, due to adverse effects that obviously didn't show up during research phases. I am 24, so I need to make the decision ASAP!
The info they have on them is 5+ years now. So far they have been found to be safe and well tolerated. They are still doing long term follow up to see if there is a need for a booster at some point.
grace
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