Can I give my girlfriend cervical cancer?

[hhawk90]

I am very worried about a situation I had encountered this morning with my dermatologist. I started developing these small raised pink bumps in my genital area that were very small and were not painful. I went to the dermatologist and he said they were genital warts. He froze some of the more visible warts (the area where he froze them is still inflammed, will this inflammation die down?).

I also have a realatively new girlfriend who I have really taken a liking to. We started having sexual intercourse, engaging in oral sex, etc. about 3-4 weeks ago. I am greatly concerned because my dermatologist told me that I need to tell her to get checked by an OB/GYN and that the genital warts I have may lead to her developing cancer of the cervix. He admitted that he did not  know much about treatment of warts in females, and after doing some of my own research via the internet (resources such as this), I wanted to ask some simple questions:

1.) Is my girlfriend at risk of developing cervical cancer assuming I have transmitted genital warts to her?

2.) What needs to be done to ensure that the risk to her minimized? If she is at no risk for cervical cancer, is she at risk for something else due to my genital warts?

3.) How serious is this situation? We've had sex virtually everyday for the past few weeks (these genital warts were so small, that she didn't recognize them and I assumed they were just small pimples that would eventually fade).

4.) Since having the warts frozen off, how long can I expect to wait until I can have sex with her again?

Thank you for your valuable time, it is greatly appreciated. I am very anxious about this whole situation and am going to see another dermatologist back home this weekend (I am a college student away from home).

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I think your dermatologist may have overstated things a bit.  The topic of HPV and genital warts is a complex one.  I will try to provide some facts.  For addition information on this most common of STDs, I would suggest search for other HPV- and wart-related Q&A on this site, as well seeking addition information on sites such as the American Social health Association web-site (disclosure, Dr. Handsfield and I are both on the Board of ASHA).

HPV is the most commonly acquired STD.  there are more data on HPV infections in women than men because of the relationship between HPV in women and abnormal Pap smears, as well as cervical cancer.  Over 85% of sexually active women will have HPV infection at some time in their lives. The figure is probably about the same in men.  In some HPV will cause genital warts, in others it will not cause warts but may lead to changes in PAP smears.  There are over 100 different types of HPV.  The type of HPV that causes visible genital warts rarely causes cancer and the type of HPV that causes cervical cancer rarely causes genital warts.  In nearly everyone who gets HPV, warts or otherwise, the infections will resolve by themselves without therapy in 8-12 months.  In a very small minority of women, HPV infection can persist and lead to the pre-cancerous lesions that PAP smears detect and which can then be treated.  With this as background, let's address your questions:

1.  The type of HPV that causes genital warts is not associated with cancer.  You might have given here warts (or, for that matter, perhaps she gave them to you).  

2.  As mentioned above, virtually everyone gets HPV infection.  Women should be vaccinated for HPV (the vaccine is not yet recommended for men although many of us anticipate that it will be in the not too distant future).  the currently available vaccine is highly effect for the 4 types of HPV that cause most genital warts and the majority of cervical cancer.  In addition, she needs to keep doing what she should do anyway which is to have regular Pap smears.

3.See above.  while I am not trying to minimize things, they are just not that big a deal.  nearly everyone gets HPV  infection, usually with more than one type.

4.  For persons who have had their warts treated, they recur about 20-25% of the time.  We recommend condom use for 3-6 months following treatment.  If there is no recurrence in that interval, recurrence is unlikely to occur and condoms are no longer needed to prevent transmission.

Hope this helps. Check out the web site and don't worry.  EWH