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Genital Warts
All the information I see says that warts usally show up within 2weeks-8months and most information I have seen they do not return after 2 years, but you still have the virus. I have a couple of questions:
I recently went to the doc and had a adnoral paps and diganosed with pre-cancer cells she said it was probably from HPV. Could I have contracted this 15 years ago from an ex? I know he was unfaithful?
what if i never should warts can they surface 15 years later? I saw information that mentioned stress and STD's. I have been very stressed, lost my job due to lay offs, not eating well, had walking pneumonia twice this year and much more stress.
Could my husband get them even if they were dormit?
I was at a conference away from home in Aug and dont remember going to my hotel room. I only had a few drinks with colleges and others I did not know in the feild. I woke up in my room with my clothes on, but was wondering if something happened. I had no fluid and no signs of sex, but now I am concerned. Could they take 4 months to show?
The other questions is they are on my anal and I never had anal sex until Nov 15th it was a shock that my husband asked he we can try and we did. two weeks later i have the warts is it more likely from him? Could he have had them for 15 years and now give them to me?
is it more likely i got them from my husband since they should up quicker or could it be from Aug?
I recently went to the doc and had a adnoral paps and diganosed with pre-cancer cells she said it was probably from HPV. Could I have contracted this 15 years ago from an ex? I know he was unfaithful?
what if i never should warts can they surface 15 years later? I saw information that mentioned stress and STD's. I have been very stressed, lost my job due to lay offs, not eating well, had walking pneumonia twice this year and much more stress.
Could my husband get them even if they were dormit?
I was at a conference away from home in Aug and dont remember going to my hotel room. I only had a few drinks with colleges and others I did not know in the feild. I woke up in my room with my clothes on, but was wondering if something happened. I had no fluid and no signs of sex, but now I am concerned. Could they take 4 months to show?
The other questions is they are on my anal and I never had anal sex until Nov 15th it was a shock that my husband asked he we can try and we did. two weeks later i have the warts is it more likely from him? Could he have had them for 15 years and now give them to me?
is it more likely i got them from my husband since they should up quicker or could it be from Aug?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
And one more bottom line: Of course follow your doctor's advice about follow-up pap smears or other examinations. Finally, you might discuss all this information with her. I'll bet she agrees with pretty much everything I said.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your abnormal pap smear was not "probably from HPV"; it definitely was. Nothing other than HSV causes sthis. However, in general, different types of HPV cause pap smear abnormalities and genital warts. So most likely you are not infected with a wart-causing strain. Also, warts generally show up sooner than what you read -- usually a few weeks, and I have never heard of it taking 8 months. (If it sometimes seems to take that long, it's mostly because people just didn't notice the warts as soon as they might have.)
As far as whether "you still have the virus" if warts or new pap smear abnormalities haven't appeared after a couple of years, this really isn't known. Some HPV infections indeed persist indefinitely, but most believe the virus itself disappears, kept in check by the immune system. The virus's DNA may persist longer, and some researchers believe it's always there -- and sometimes a reactivated infection can appear years later. This is fairly common and often is the explanation for new pap smear abnormalities among women in middle-life. Still, it is an exception; for the most part, once detectable infection clears up -- usually a few months to 2 years or so -- the infection is gone forever. (And by the way, in response to a question you didn't ask but some women worry about: this possibility does not mean there is anything wrong with your immune system. It just happens sometimes.)
It is very unlikely you had sex without knowing it, regardless of how alcohol-impaired you might have been -- and it sounds like not much anyway. Therefore, it is more likely that you either caught HPV from your husband or that you were infected some years earlier (from some other partner, impossible to know when and where) and are one of those people whose abnormal pap was due to reactivation of an old infection. Either way, if you and your husband have had unprotected vaginal sex, almost certatinly he has (or had) the same infection. Most HPV infections in men remain entirely asymptomatic. The fact that he has not had visible warts is further evidence that your infection was not due to a recently acquired wart-causing type of HPV.
Bottom lines: If you have no other reason to suspect your husband's sexual fidelity, there is no need to go there. Your infection has been taken care of and probably will not cause you any future problem of any kind. Your husband need not be examined if he hasn't noticed warts or other unexplained skin lesions of the penis. And there is no need to change your sexual practices or habits with your husband -- sex of any type that pleases you is just fine, without condoms.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
As far as whether "you still have the virus" if warts or new pap smear abnormalities haven't appeared after a couple of years, this really isn't known. Some HPV infections indeed persist indefinitely, but most believe the virus itself disappears, kept in check by the immune system. The virus's DNA may persist longer, and some researchers believe it's always there -- and sometimes a reactivated infection can appear years later. This is fairly common and often is the explanation for new pap smear abnormalities among women in middle-life. Still, it is an exception; for the most part, once detectable infection clears up -- usually a few months to 2 years or so -- the infection is gone forever. (And by the way, in response to a question you didn't ask but some women worry about: this possibility does not mean there is anything wrong with your immune system. It just happens sometimes.)
It is very unlikely you had sex without knowing it, regardless of how alcohol-impaired you might have been -- and it sounds like not much anyway. Therefore, it is more likely that you either caught HPV from your husband or that you were infected some years earlier (from some other partner, impossible to know when and where) and are one of those people whose abnormal pap was due to reactivation of an old infection. Either way, if you and your husband have had unprotected vaginal sex, almost certatinly he has (or had) the same infection. Most HPV infections in men remain entirely asymptomatic. The fact that he has not had visible warts is further evidence that your infection was not due to a recently acquired wart-causing type of HPV.
Bottom lines: If you have no other reason to suspect your husband's sexual fidelity, there is no need to go there. Your infection has been taken care of and probably will not cause you any future problem of any kind. Your husband need not be examined if he hasn't noticed warts or other unexplained skin lesions of the penis. And there is no need to change your sexual practices or habits with your husband -- sex of any type that pleases you is just fine, without condoms.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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