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Genital Warts
Hey I'm 25 year old male and I contracted what looked like warts when I was 18. I recieved them through my first partner and didnt find out that I had anything until 6 months later. I was scared and didnt go to the doctor and they eventually went away in a few months. I'm 25 now and have stayed out of relationships and until now at 25 I have found someone who I really like. I knew that I would be having sex with her, so I went to the doctor first told him about my situation and that I have not seen anything since I was a teenager and he said that I was not at risk to anyone at this point. He checked me out said I was fine and I ask him if was necessary that I told her and he said I didnt need to and i asked if i was a risk even without condoms and he said no. I dont want to tell her because of the lack of education on the subject and it would freak her out for nothing, so I followed his advice and had sex with her thinking I am fine. I come on some of the health board s and their saying I'm at risk for life, but webmd, my doctor and CDC says that the virus clears up on its own after a certain time... it may stay dormant, but i'm not at risk...according to my doctor. The way I started to think about was its not that much different than chicken pox, so do i need to tell everyone i had chicken pox. I cant tell her now I had sex with her already and more than once. She is by my doctors stand point not at risk. I dont know what to do, i ask friends and they even said you are fine at this point. I just wanted see what you think about it because if you think I should tell her then I might, but she will hate me for waiting after the fact, but I chose this becuase of the stigma behind HPV. Please let me know what you think. I feel like a bad person for not telling her, but i followed advice from my doctor. If he told me she was at risk i would have told her, but he said she wasnt. If you think i'm still a good person withholding this info then i can live with myself.
Thanks for your information... I konw I'm obsessing and my intuition will make this decision. You were very informative and helped me reduce my stress by a lot. Thanks
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
That's all for this thread. This forum has nothing more to offer you.
I want to be with her for a long time, but right now we are long distance and I see her only on weekends. Its going to be her inflated sense of HPV and its importance. I havent seen anything since i was a teenager and i'm just wondering if it would be a bad decison to wait until were more stable?... like one to two years. I just know now from my perspective she doesnt know me well enough to be ok with the situation. I mean is waiting a bad idea in your eyes. Some people are telling me to never say anything because its not anything.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
What I would do would depend on the nature of the relationship. I cannot give you that sort of advice, beyond what I already said above.
You might consider starting a discussion on the MedHelp HPV community forum. Whatever else you do, try to get beyond your obviously inflated sense of HPV and its importance.
You might consider starting a discussion on the MedHelp HPV community forum. Whatever else you do, try to get beyond your obviously inflated sense of HPV and its importance.
Thanks I just feel like i'm hiding something from her and all of my friends tell me i'm not, but for some reason i feel guilty. I kind of want to tell her, but I know that damage will be done if I do because i have already have had sex with her. I know this is more of a relationship issue, but i just want this off my mind. I look at words in your post and you say unlikely they will not return and i guess that scares me. i think im obsessing about this and this alone is affecting my personality and she is going to pick up something is wrong. Your post did make me feel a lot better though. i'm an honest person, but this is something i want to keep to my self if i'm not at a risk to her. I think i may one day tell her but were new is this relationship and it will not exactly set the mood for the future. What would you do if you were in my situation?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
Almost certainly your wart virus infection from 7 years ago is completely gone, never to return. You are unlikely to infect your current or any other sex partner. The large majority of HPV infections clear up within several months, rarely longer than 2 years. Is there a theoretical risk of recurrence in the future? Yes; HPV DNA may persist in the infected area for life. But transmissible virus or new warts rarely reappear -- so for practical purposes, most infected people are cured by their own immune systems. In fact, I am saddened to learn you might have foregone sex for all these years on this account; it really wasn't necessary. But what's done is done and it is time to look forward without fear about HPV.
In other words, I agree 100% with "webmd, my doctor and CDC says that the virus clears up on its own after a certain time... it may stay dormant, but i'm not at risk...according to my doctor."
As for "the stigma behind HPV", remember that almost everybody has genital HPV at one time or another; it is unavoidable for all practical purposes. At least 10% of Americans, and probably 20%, get genital warts. It is generally an inconvenient, impersonal infection, nothing more.
Finally, should you discuss your past infection with your partner? In my opinion, the risk of transmission to her is too low to require it. Of course, she might appreciate your honesty in revealing past STD problems, and this could also be an opportunity for her to consider getting the HPV vaccine. On the other hand, that's a good idea for all young women, regardless of known HPV risk. In other words, this isn't a medical question but a relationship issue -- and this isn't a relationship counseling site, so I'll say no more about it.
Bottom line: Don't worry about your past genital warts. You have seen the last of them and your current or future sex partner(s) are not likely to be at risk.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Almost certainly your wart virus infection from 7 years ago is completely gone, never to return. You are unlikely to infect your current or any other sex partner. The large majority of HPV infections clear up within several months, rarely longer than 2 years. Is there a theoretical risk of recurrence in the future? Yes; HPV DNA may persist in the infected area for life. But transmissible virus or new warts rarely reappear -- so for practical purposes, most infected people are cured by their own immune systems. In fact, I am saddened to learn you might have foregone sex for all these years on this account; it really wasn't necessary. But what's done is done and it is time to look forward without fear about HPV.
In other words, I agree 100% with "webmd, my doctor and CDC says that the virus clears up on its own after a certain time... it may stay dormant, but i'm not at risk...according to my doctor."
As for "the stigma behind HPV", remember that almost everybody has genital HPV at one time or another; it is unavoidable for all practical purposes. At least 10% of Americans, and probably 20%, get genital warts. It is generally an inconvenient, impersonal infection, nothing more.
Finally, should you discuss your past infection with your partner? In my opinion, the risk of transmission to her is too low to require it. Of course, she might appreciate your honesty in revealing past STD problems, and this could also be an opportunity for her to consider getting the HPV vaccine. On the other hand, that's a good idea for all young women, regardless of known HPV risk. In other words, this isn't a medical question but a relationship issue -- and this isn't a relationship counseling site, so I'll say no more about it.
Bottom line: Don't worry about your past genital warts. You have seen the last of them and your current or future sex partner(s) are not likely to be at risk.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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