HPV questions

[aw_ny]

I was just tested and have HPV. I wasn't given as much information as I would have liked and have lots of questions, most importantly, how concerned I need to be as far as transmitting it. I read this below from an MD on this website, and it struck me as odd:

"Once visible evidence of warts are gone and a few months have gone by, the virus is no longer transmissible.  (...)  Even with known infection, there is no obligation to tell partners after the infection has cleared up.  (...) And HPV isn't such a big deal anyway.  You're going to get genital HPV someday; if you have had at least 3 vaginal sex partners in your life, the odds are you already have been infected.  Getting genital HPV is normal and for practical purposes unavoidable."

How accurate are these statements? Specifically, after a few months the virus is no longer transmissible??

Also, I have been getting STRONG irritation around the genitals that persists for weeks, goes away for a week, and comes back for a few mores weeks. I use Cortaid almost nightly and it just barely provides relief. What can I do about this?

I would really appreciate the help, thanks in advance!

[jda123]

Aw_ny, that quote is directly from Dr. Handsfield.  Have you read his credentials?  I don't understand why you would ask for a second opinion from a bunch of random people in the peer to peer forum.  I was an English major in college, what could I say that would hold a candle to Dr. Handsfield's expertise?  You should just take the time to read as many of his posts as possible....if you search for HPV or HPV warts or HPV Questions, he addresses these things many times.  Off the top of my head, these are the things I remember him saying:

-HPV isn't a big deal.  If you've had 3 sex partners in your life you probably had it...chances are a sexually active person will get HPV several times in their lifetime. (There are 30-40 sexually transmitted strains, you can catch each strain once.)

-There are two strains of HPV that cause the majority of warts...6 and 11 I think, but don't quote me on that.  The most sensitive DNA tests available show that within 6-12 months of warts no longer being present there are no traces of the virus left in the body.  Accordingly, while it's possible that some people will have recurrent symptoms and will infectious again in the future, the vast majority of people will not.  Dr. Handsfield's opinion is that 6 months after no longer having warts you are no longer ethically required, and it's not even recommended, that you inform future partners of your past infection.  The only reason to inform someone is for the sake of building a relationship on complete openness and honesty, if you are in fact interested in building a relationship.

-Some experts disagree with Dr. Handsfield.  You should read as much as possible and make your own decisions.  But you should read from credible sources.  Here are a couple posts you can start with from Dr. H.  The first one is his response to someone who disagrees with him:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/STD/messages/2196.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/STD/messages/3590.html


The irritation doesn't sound like an STD.  It's very unlikely that Herpes would only go into remission for one week between outbreaks.  HPV shows itself as warts, if at all.  Chances are its something along the lines of dry skin, anxiety, or even the nightly Cortoaid usage.  You should see a dermatologist about it if it keeps bothering you.

[aw_ny]

I was asking for a second opinion because my dermatologist told me a completely different story (and I would have posted to a different MD as opposed to this particular forum if there was no charge).

I have HPV type 11 and have had worts. I was told by my dermatologist that there is no cure, I can transmit for the remainder of my life, and that it is of the utmost importance that I warn all future sexual partners of the risk and that they should be regularly checked for HPV.

This stands in pretty strong contrast to Dr. Handsfield. I'm sorry, I don't care about credentials - I care about causing risk to my partner, and I don't want someone telling me there is absolutely nothing to worry about if that's not the case. I could understand if Dr. Handsfield gave a neutral opinion as to the ethics of telling future partners, but to specifically state that an HPV carrier should NOT tell their partner??? This seems completely irresponsible to me, even if there is only a slight chance of future transmission. There still is that chance, correct?

To other HPV carriers reading this, it's sure nice to have 'the easy way out', not deal with the stress and hide it from your partners, but it really only seems fair that they know.. regardless of 50-80% of all people eventually acquiring genital HPV. Maybe this thinking, that one should not tell their partners because HPV is so common anyway, is the very thing that perpetuates these high numbers.

I do appreciate you providing me with opposing credible sources and will continue to do my research .. this is the reason I posted on here to begin with.

[Cave2]

[Cave2]

I am new to this thing, and I dont underdstand where the Doctors comments are. hPV is a very serious thing. I am a male, and had HPV cancer of the tonsil. I needed a ton of radiation and chemo. im ok now. Needed a feeding tube also. Tough thing. Do not take this lately. Very serious . All of my troubles have come from dealing with nasty ghetto ****. My fault. It is a very bad addiction..this is what I get, along with all StDs, MRSA.... I need help with this. Worse than gambling, drugs, alcohol. They are all bad, this is real bad

[jda123]

Just fyi, the HPV strains that cause warts generally don't cause cancer.

[jda123]

I didn't realize where you were coming from on that question, I didn't mean to completely dismiss it, sorry about that.

I recently found out I have HPV warts as well and I'm also struggling with how I want to proceed with my future sex life.  My dermatologist told me something similar to what yours told you.  But quite frankly, I don't think my dermatologist knows as much about STDs as Dr. Handsfield seems to.  That might be what's convenient for me to think, but I believe its also true.  I personally don't plan on being sexually active with anyone new for a long time either way, and I'll use that time to figure out what I think about the information I've read.

Have you chosen to inform past partners?  That's something else I'm struggling with.

[aw_ny]

no worries. regarding informing past partners, i have an extremely strange situation -- i have been with my girlfriend for nearly 4 years. it was between 4 and 6 months ago that i developed warts which i found was HPV through biopsy results. the strange thing is that i have had no other partners within the past 4 years, my girlfriend (i am nearly 100% certain) has not had any other partners in the past 4 years, and she hasn't yet been found to have HPV. the insane part is that i think somehow, though i believe this is extremely rare, i developed HPV through non-sexual content, possibly in the extremely unsanitary NY subways. doctors have told me this is nearly impossible, but that it is also seems impossible for the warts to pop up 4 years after sex with my previous partner. the whole situation has been very stressfull as it led my girlfriend to believe i cheated on her which i definitely never have. so .. (sorry for the unnecessarily long explanation!) no, i have not informed past partners as it has been 4 years since i've had one and i believe it was somehow aquired in the past year. i would personally *definitely* tell anyone that you have slept with within the past 6 months, no question.