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Gardasil and Unprotected sex
Hi Doctor,
I was diagnosed with genital warts about two months ago (2 very small warts at the opening of the urethra). I have been getting treated at the clinic and it finally looks like they are going away and i understand that i will always carry the HPV virus. Now, I am about to get into a relationship and i have not had sex with her so i know that she is not infected (also assuming that i do not carry another strain of HPV), i was wondering if it makes sense to have unprotected sex (vaginal, anal or oral) AFTER she receives Gardasil (which seems to be 90% effective against all strains of genital warts).
My second question is if you would recommend the vaccine for both of us?
And finally my last question is after a year or two of no warts (while it is laying dormant), would it be safe to engage in unprotected sex with a person that has not gotten Gardasil?
Thank you.
I was diagnosed with genital warts about two months ago (2 very small warts at the opening of the urethra). I have been getting treated at the clinic and it finally looks like they are going away and i understand that i will always carry the HPV virus. Now, I am about to get into a relationship and i have not had sex with her so i know that she is not infected (also assuming that i do not carry another strain of HPV), i was wondering if it makes sense to have unprotected sex (vaginal, anal or oral) AFTER she receives Gardasil (which seems to be 90% effective against all strains of genital warts).
My second question is if you would recommend the vaccine for both of us?
And finally my last question is after a year or two of no warts (while it is laying dormant), would it be safe to engage in unprotected sex with a person that has not gotten Gardasil?
Thank you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Don't panic about herpes. It is true that a result of 1.37 is technically positive for HSV-2. However, most such persons in fact do not have HSV-2; probably 60-70% of the time the result is false positive. Many doctors are unaware of this problem with the HSV blood tests.
Here is a thread that explains it some detail; although 2 years old, the information remains accurate: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/IGG-Test-Result-Confusion/show/593272
Follow the advice there about having a confirmatory test. If the result is confirmed positive, that will be the time to address your questions about medication and the risks of transmission to your partner. For the time being, you should discuss the result and the uncertainty with your partner, and perhaps start using condoms for the time being. But the odds are that it will turn out your positive result is false and you are not infected.
If you do have HSV-2, it does not explain your recurrent/persistent NGU.
That will have to end this thread, which has gone on quite a while and is well off the original topic of HPV and the HPV vaccine. If you have questions about HSV and/or NGU, please start a new thread either on this forum or the MedHelp herpes forum.
Here is a thread that explains it some detail; although 2 years old, the information remains accurate: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/IGG-Test-Result-Confusion/show/593272
Follow the advice there about having a confirmatory test. If the result is confirmed positive, that will be the time to address your questions about medication and the risks of transmission to your partner. For the time being, you should discuss the result and the uncertainty with your partner, and perhaps start using condoms for the time being. But the odds are that it will turn out your positive result is false and you are not infected.
If you do have HSV-2, it does not explain your recurrent/persistent NGU.
That will have to end this thread, which has gone on quite a while and is well off the original topic of HPV and the HPV vaccine. If you have questions about HSV and/or NGU, please start a new thread either on this forum or the MedHelp herpes forum.
Hi doctor,
I received some sad news this morning, the doctor told me i was exposed to HSV-2. The test was IGG (not sure what kind) and the number he gave me was 1.37--he also added that anything over 1.10 is considered to be positive. I am a bit frustrated because i have seen 4 different doctors in the past two months and not one of them told me they thought i had herpes.Please doc, I would like to know the following:
1) what are the chances this is a false positive? considering that i have had no outbreaks or obvious signs of herpes
2) If in fact i am positive, should i start taking any type of medication? My doc told me not to since i havent had any lesions but i would really like to reduce the chances of future outbreaks
3)What are my chances of passing this to my new partner? What is the best way to reduce these chances?
Possible exposure was approx 10 weeks ago and i havent had intercourse since then.
thank you
I received some sad news this morning, the doctor told me i was exposed to HSV-2. The test was IGG (not sure what kind) and the number he gave me was 1.37--he also added that anything over 1.10 is considered to be positive. I am a bit frustrated because i have seen 4 different doctors in the past two months and not one of them told me they thought i had herpes.Please doc, I would like to know the following:
1) what are the chances this is a false positive? considering that i have had no outbreaks or obvious signs of herpes
2) If in fact i am positive, should i start taking any type of medication? My doc told me not to since i havent had any lesions but i would really like to reduce the chances of future outbreaks
3)What are my chances of passing this to my new partner? What is the best way to reduce these chances?
Possible exposure was approx 10 weeks ago and i havent had intercourse since then.
thank you
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Herpes is not a cause of persistent/recurrent NGU.
There is no reason not to be having sex with your regular partner. Persistent/recurrent NGU is not know to have any important health impacts on either affected men or their sex partners. When NGU persists after all the antibiotics you had, most likely it is just residual inflammation without infection. I don't expect any more antibiotics will have any effect. In any case, follow your urologist's advice about it -- but don't worry about herpes as a cause.
There is no reason not to be having sex with your regular partner. Persistent/recurrent NGU is not know to have any important health impacts on either affected men or their sex partners. When NGU persists after all the antibiotics you had, most likely it is just residual inflammation without infection. I don't expect any more antibiotics will have any effect. In any case, follow your urologist's advice about it -- but don't worry about herpes as a cause.
I forgot to add that havent had sex since july---so we can rule out reinfection.
This is the 3rd time in 2 months that im being treated for NGU.
This is the 3rd time in 2 months that im being treated for NGU.
Thank you for the Gardasil info, i actually got my first shot today, and my partner is getting hers next week.
Doc,
I just got tested today for Herpes so i am waiting on the results, which i was told would take 3-4 days. Also got tested for Chlam and Gon and results came back negative, but i was diagnosed with NGU (was given doxycycline for treatment), which is strange to me because when my warts first appeared back in july, i was also diagnosed with NGU (turned out to be chlam) and was given at the time doxycycline and since symptoms (discharge) were persistent, i was given Azithromycin about 3 weeks after and everything cleared.
This worries really worries me, especially because i am unable to rule out herpes at this point. I am going to set up an appointment with a Urologist tomorrow but in the meantime, do you know what can possibly be going on with me?
Thank you
Doc,
I just got tested today for Herpes so i am waiting on the results, which i was told would take 3-4 days. Also got tested for Chlam and Gon and results came back negative, but i was diagnosed with NGU (was given doxycycline for treatment), which is strange to me because when my warts first appeared back in july, i was also diagnosed with NGU (turned out to be chlam) and was given at the time doxycycline and since symptoms (discharge) were persistent, i was given Azithromycin about 3 weeks after and everything cleared.
This worries really worries me, especially because i am unable to rule out herpes at this point. I am going to set up an appointment with a Urologist tomorrow but in the meantime, do you know what can possibly be going on with me?
Thank you
Gardasil is not 90% effective. Gardasil effectiveness is actually considerably higher than merely 90% — I think it is close to 100% effective against those HPV strains that cause 90% of the genital warts.
P.S. Interesting fact: the 4 strains that Gardasil covers are not even the most popular HPV strains, they're just those strains that are most common to cause any symptoms.
P.S. Interesting fact: the 4 strains that Gardasil covers are not even the most popular HPV strains, they're just those strains that are most common to cause any symptoms.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Herpes cannot last for moer than 2 months. Most likely the irritation is due to the tea tree oil, which is very irritating, and not to warts themselves or to herpes. However, an online forum is not the place to find answers to this sort of problem. You should immediately return to the provider who has been treating your warts and let him or her evaluate the problem.
We don't evaluate posted photos on this forum. Sorry. I'll be happy to comment further after you report what your doctor or clinic says when you are reexamined.
We don't evaluate posted photos on this forum. Sorry. I'll be happy to comment further after you report what your doctor or clinic says when you are reexamined.
i forgot to add, do you recommend anything for the skin irritation or rawness from the bandaids, or is it better to just let it heal naturally?
How can i get rid of the sensitiveness and/or puss?
thank you.
How can i get rid of the sensitiveness and/or puss?
thank you.
Thank you for your help Doctor, you have been very helpful.
My last concern is the following, I have had the warts since LATE JULY , but just recently over this past weekend (i went to the beach) i noticed that my urethra stung a little while in the water and the next morning the "Warts" had a white tip with puss inside and the left side of the penis head had tiny small bumps. Now the area where my "warts" are is very sensitive when it rubs against my underwear and after i urinate and for the past two days my penis feels sore about 30 secounds to a minute after i urinate.
I must tell you that ive been putting tree tea oil on the tip of my uretha (everyday) with a bandaid over it (a gauze) and i have a feeling that my urethra might have gotten irritated (such as the skin around my urethra from the bandaids)
I decided to stop doing the tree tea oil regimen because it was damaging my skin, and the puss in the "warts" have been on and off for about 3 days now and i am assuming they pop by themselves because the puss inside is not always visible.
I am really concerned this might be herpes, especially because of the pain after urination but also because warts do not have puss in them, i am scheduled to get tested for herpes later this week but i would like to know your opinion.
Please keep in mind this first popped up in late july.
I attached the following pictures:
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1732/issueh.jpg
no puss was present at the time, i apoligize for the picture quality but to see the wart
please focus on the urethra, you wil see two bumps, one on each side of the urethra opening.
My last concern is the following, I have had the warts since LATE JULY , but just recently over this past weekend (i went to the beach) i noticed that my urethra stung a little while in the water and the next morning the "Warts" had a white tip with puss inside and the left side of the penis head had tiny small bumps. Now the area where my "warts" are is very sensitive when it rubs against my underwear and after i urinate and for the past two days my penis feels sore about 30 secounds to a minute after i urinate.
I must tell you that ive been putting tree tea oil on the tip of my uretha (everyday) with a bandaid over it (a gauze) and i have a feeling that my urethra might have gotten irritated (such as the skin around my urethra from the bandaids)
I decided to stop doing the tree tea oil regimen because it was damaging my skin, and the puss in the "warts" have been on and off for about 3 days now and i am assuming they pop by themselves because the puss inside is not always visible.
I am really concerned this might be herpes, especially because of the pain after urination but also because warts do not have puss in them, i am scheduled to get tested for herpes later this week but i would like to know your opinion.
Please keep in mind this first popped up in late july.
I attached the following pictures:
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1732/issueh.jpg
no puss was present at the time, i apoligize for the picture quality but to see the wart
please focus on the urethra, you wil see two bumps, one on each side of the urethra opening.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. I'll try to help. However, in addition to this reply, I encourage you to do some research about HPV. You appear to have some basic misunderstandings.
It is unlikely you "will always carry the HPV virus" causing your warts. HPV DNA may persist for life, but the large majority of HPV infections clear up to a point where they cannot be detected with testing or transmitted to partners. If your warts do not reappear in the next few months, you can consider yourself cured. After that, you can definitely have sex with partners who have not had Gardasil.
Second, almost all sexually active people catch genital HPV at one time or another, often several times. Unless your future sex partner is a virgin, probably she has already had one or more HPV infections.
Don't get me wrong. Gardasil is great, and it is good your partner is being vaccinated. It will protect her against the 4 HPV types covered by the vaccine, probably including the strain that caused your warts. However, she will not be fully protected until she comletes all 3 doses of the vaccine, which takes 6 months. Before then, consistent condom use will be important to help prevent transmission. (She may be largely protected after 2 doses, but you can't count on it.) It's also a good idea for you to be vaccinated. Even though your warts probably were caused by HPV type 6 or 11, the vaccine will prevent you getting a new infection with the 3 other types covered by the vaccine.
There are over 100 HPV types, of which 30-40 primarily infect the genital area and are sexually transmitted. Gardasil protects against only 4 types. You and your partner will remain susceptible to all the others. Fortunately, most infections are asymptomatic and cause no disease. But this is why your partner will still need to have regular pap smears to check for HPV disease of the cervix, even after being vaccinated.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
It is unlikely you "will always carry the HPV virus" causing your warts. HPV DNA may persist for life, but the large majority of HPV infections clear up to a point where they cannot be detected with testing or transmitted to partners. If your warts do not reappear in the next few months, you can consider yourself cured. After that, you can definitely have sex with partners who have not had Gardasil.
Second, almost all sexually active people catch genital HPV at one time or another, often several times. Unless your future sex partner is a virgin, probably she has already had one or more HPV infections.
Don't get me wrong. Gardasil is great, and it is good your partner is being vaccinated. It will protect her against the 4 HPV types covered by the vaccine, probably including the strain that caused your warts. However, she will not be fully protected until she comletes all 3 doses of the vaccine, which takes 6 months. Before then, consistent condom use will be important to help prevent transmission. (She may be largely protected after 2 doses, but you can't count on it.) It's also a good idea for you to be vaccinated. Even though your warts probably were caused by HPV type 6 or 11, the vaccine will prevent you getting a new infection with the 3 other types covered by the vaccine.
There are over 100 HPV types, of which 30-40 primarily infect the genital area and are sexually transmitted. Gardasil protects against only 4 types. You and your partner will remain susceptible to all the others. Fortunately, most infections are asymptomatic and cause no disease. But this is why your partner will still need to have regular pap smears to check for HPV disease of the cervix, even after being vaccinated.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
