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How effective is Genital Wart Treatment?
I read that Genital Warts from HPV can be removed, but I was wondering are there some that will stay on your genitals forever no matter what treatment you receive (i.e- medications, surgery) Also, after they are removed what are the chances of them coming back? Can you spread them during intercourse after they are removed, and no warts are present?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
These are excellent questions. However, they have been asked and answered many times on this forum. Here are two threads to get you started. You can find others by using the search link and entering such terms as "HPV clearance", "genital warts", or just "HPV".
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Clarification-of-HPV-clearance/show/249312
The bottom line is that some experts believe HPV DNA persists in the genital area in most people, perhaps for life. Others disagree. What is certain is that in the large majority of infected people, HPV clears up within several months, to a point that it cannot be detected and partners cannot be infected; and in most people it never recurs. So for practical purposes, the natural course is one of spontaneous cure, whether or not undetectable DNA persists in skin cells. The wart-causing HPV types clear up more often than the other types that are associated with cervical cancer.
In people with genital warts, the HPV infection typically involves genital skin more widely than the warts themselves. Therefore, the infection may continue a while even after warts are successfully treated by freezing or the other available treatments. Exactly how long it takes to be confident the infection is truly gone isn't known. My advice to patients is that if the warts clear up with treatment and there are no recurrences after 6 months, they can be reasonably confident the infection is gone and cannot be transmitted. But it might not take that long, and once in a while maybe 6 months is too short. However, I have never seen a patient who apparently transmitted warts to a new partner in this situation; if it happens, it is uncommon.
I hope this helps. Search the forum for literally hundreds of other discussions of these points.
Regards-- HHH, MD
These are excellent questions. However, they have been asked and answered many times on this forum. Here are two threads to get you started. You can find others by using the search link and entering such terms as "HPV clearance", "genital warts", or just "HPV".
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Clarification-of-HPV-clearance/show/249312
The bottom line is that some experts believe HPV DNA persists in the genital area in most people, perhaps for life. Others disagree. What is certain is that in the large majority of infected people, HPV clears up within several months, to a point that it cannot be detected and partners cannot be infected; and in most people it never recurs. So for practical purposes, the natural course is one of spontaneous cure, whether or not undetectable DNA persists in skin cells. The wart-causing HPV types clear up more often than the other types that are associated with cervical cancer.
In people with genital warts, the HPV infection typically involves genital skin more widely than the warts themselves. Therefore, the infection may continue a while even after warts are successfully treated by freezing or the other available treatments. Exactly how long it takes to be confident the infection is truly gone isn't known. My advice to patients is that if the warts clear up with treatment and there are no recurrences after 6 months, they can be reasonably confident the infection is gone and cannot be transmitted. But it might not take that long, and once in a while maybe 6 months is too short. However, I have never seen a patient who apparently transmitted warts to a new partner in this situation; if it happens, it is uncommon.
I hope this helps. Search the forum for literally hundreds of other discussions of these points.
Regards-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No comment. You may not expect assessment of your situation in a comment in someone else's thread. Feel free to start a new one of your own.
This is all very helpful--I'm in a similar boat, and was wondering if your opinion from this thread still holds:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/How-Long-Should-I-Wait/show/454908
Essentially: 4 years ago I went to the doctor with what he said "might" be a wart. I think it was a single wart. He applied some medication, it went away. No further recurrence or problems, at all, since then.
As a naturally guilty person (obsessive-compulsive disorder) your responses sometimes make me a little unsure. (Mainly 'some experts think...others disagree.') I'm mortified about being in a position in which I feel obligated to tell partners, "Oh, 4 years ago I had a single thing that might have been a wart, not sure...Just an FYI." From what I gather from the post above & others, it'd be silly of me to have to broach this topic, and I shouldn't feel like I am putting anyone at risk after 4 years "wart-free". Do you concur?
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/How-Long-Should-I-Wait/show/454908
Essentially: 4 years ago I went to the doctor with what he said "might" be a wart. I think it was a single wart. He applied some medication, it went away. No further recurrence or problems, at all, since then.
As a naturally guilty person (obsessive-compulsive disorder) your responses sometimes make me a little unsure. (Mainly 'some experts think...others disagree.') I'm mortified about being in a position in which I feel obligated to tell partners, "Oh, 4 years ago I had a single thing that might have been a wart, not sure...Just an FYI." From what I gather from the post above & others, it'd be silly of me to have to broach this topic, and I shouldn't feel like I am putting anyone at risk after 4 years "wart-free". Do you concur?
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.
