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STDs (Expert Forum)
Exposure to HPV - What to tell future partners
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
Welcome to the STD Forum, which is intended only for questions and support pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital warts, trichomonas, other vaginal infections, nongonoccal urethritis (NGU), cervicitis, molluscum contagiosum, chancroid, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
Exposure to HPV - What to tell future partners
by william_m, Apr 27, 2009 04:02PM
Hello Doctor,
My ex-girlfriend was diagnosed with HPV during our relationship during the course of which we had unprotected sex. She tested positive with High-Risk HPV ~20 months ago, the same month in which we had our first unprotected sexual contact, and we had sexual contact up until 14 months ago. I have not been sexually active for the past 14 months.
Back when my ex tested positive, my doctor told me HPV is very common and really of no consequence to the health of men, so I was not concerned about it. However, I am wondering what risk, if any, I pose to future female partners due to this exposure. I am unsure whether I should warn future partners over a potential risk that I might have contracted HPV in the past and that I may or may not still have it, or whether due to the uncertainty that I have HPV and the prevalence of HPV such a measure is necessary. The lack of a test for men is a bit frustrating as my personality leads me to assume the worst case scenario in the absence of knowledge.
Thanks,
Will M.
My ex-girlfriend was diagnosed with HPV during our relationship during the course of which we had unprotected sex. She tested positive with High-Risk HPV ~20 months ago, the same month in which we had our first unprotected sexual contact, and we had sexual contact up until 14 months ago. I have not been sexually active for the past 14 months.
Back when my ex tested positive, my doctor told me HPV is very common and really of no consequence to the health of men, so I was not concerned about it. However, I am wondering what risk, if any, I pose to future female partners due to this exposure. I am unsure whether I should warn future partners over a potential risk that I might have contracted HPV in the past and that I may or may not still have it, or whether due to the uncertainty that I have HPV and the prevalence of HPV such a measure is necessary. The lack of a test for men is a bit frustrating as my personality leads me to assume the worst case scenario in the absence of knowledge.
Thanks,
Will M.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Apr 27, 2009 04:55PM
, Apr 27, 2009 04:55PM
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help. But my reply will be brief. If you had read the "Important Disclaimer" message and followed its advice to look for other threads with the same questions, you could have easily found many other discussions. Use the search link and enter "HPV inform partner" and you'll find 429 threads! Read a bunch of them for more detailed information.
Some basic facts about HPV. Your doctor is right about male health. Everybody gets genital HPV, and the high risk (potentially cancer causing) are the most common kinds of infection. HPV usually goes away without treatment, at least to the point it cannot be transmitted. Therefore, whether or not you tell future partners about your likely infection, which likely has gone away by now, will make no difference in the risk that they will be infected with HPV, either high or low risk. It is precisely because genital HPV is inevitable and unavoidable that all women have to get regular pap smears, even if they don't consider themselves at risk for any STD; and why all sexually active young women should be receive the HPV vaccine, which protects against infection with the 2 strains that cause most genital warts and the 2 others that cause 70% of cervical cancer. It's good there is no test for men. All the positive results would just drive people crazy unnecessarily.
In other words, just go forward in life. There is no need to mention your past HPV infection with future sex partners. It's OK to do so, of course, if it will make you feel better. But trust me, it will make no difference in the likelihood of future HPV in your partners and it will cause a lot of generally unnecessary worry.
Please scan the many other threads on this.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Some basic facts about HPV. Your doctor is right about male health. Everybody gets genital HPV, and the high risk (potentially cancer causing) are the most common kinds of infection. HPV usually goes away without treatment, at least to the point it cannot be transmitted. Therefore, whether or not you tell future partners about your likely infection, which likely has gone away by now, will make no difference in the risk that they will be infected with HPV, either high or low risk. It is precisely because genital HPV is inevitable and unavoidable that all women have to get regular pap smears, even if they don't consider themselves at risk for any STD; and why all sexually active young women should be receive the HPV vaccine, which protects against infection with the 2 strains that cause most genital warts and the 2 others that cause 70% of cervical cancer. It's good there is no test for men. All the positive results would just drive people crazy unnecessarily.
In other words, just go forward in life. There is no need to mention your past HPV infection with future sex partners. It's OK to do so, of course, if it will make you feel better. But trust me, it will make no difference in the likelihood of future HPV in your partners and it will cause a lot of generally unnecessary worry.
Please scan the many other threads on this.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Nor do I have any other health complications; young, healthy, and in shape.
Thx,
Will
-Will