Aa
hpv
hi dr. i am returning to your expert forum after having posted on here a number of years ago. your quick response to the question i posted was very helpful at that time so I am returning. i am in my mid thirties. i am a lesbian woman. always cautious and quite conservative, which means i have little dating experience. i recently started to date a woman I am quite fond of. we have not yet had sex, but have discussed it, meaning our sexual past. she has told me that she tested positive for hpv. she is being treated for it (and I'm not sure what this means) and her doctor told her she needs to be monitored closely, but that her immune system will fight this and that she will be non-detectable, usually in about six questions. thus, my questions, Since she has this, and is a carrier of it, am I at risk of contracting it even if her levels are not detectable? I'm a little confused about this, as my thinking is that there is no cure for this. Additionally, if I get the vaccine for this will it eliminate, or only reduce, my chance of contracting it? I hope my questions make sense? I would appreciate it if you could advise accordingly. Is it possible that she will be cured of this? Thank you, and, in advance. janedoe60613
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the forum. You must have had a different username in the past; I can't find any previous discussions with you.
Your questions do indeed make a lot of sense. However, they also suggest you are unaware of some of the most basic information about HPV -- that it's nearly universal (almost all sexually active people are infected at one time or another, often more than once); that the large majority of infections never become apparent; and that although HPV DNA probably can persist for life, active infection that causes disease or can be transmitted usually is cleared by the immune system within a few months to a couple of years. Also, it is rarely possible to know when and where a particular HPV infection is acquired; if someday in the future you were to have an abnormal pap smear or other apparent HPV infection, there would be no way to know if it had anything to do with contact with your new partner. Below are links to a couple of threads that go into more detail, at least one of which has links to still other discussions. You can also find many others by using this forum's search function; or read the excellent information provided by CDC (www.cdc.gov/std), the American Sexual Health Association (www.ashastd.org), and others.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/low-risk-HPV/show/1498003
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
It sounds like your partner had an abnormal pap and that the issue is now in good control. The information about her immune system clearing it up is accurate, and it seems likely she is no longer infectious and you would not be at risk from sexual activity with her. (In other words, if her pap has normalized, probably she is no longer a "carrier" of the HPV strain that caused it.)
Whatever risk remains, you probably could reduce the risk further by being immunized with Gardasil, which protects against the 4 most troublesome HPV types, including the two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer. If your partner is infected with one of these 4 types, then you will be 100% protected. However, complete protection cannot be assumed until you've had all 3 doses of the vaccine (6 months), although a high degree of protection -- maybe close to 100% -- probably occurs soon after the second dose, one month after the first.
Regardless of your partner's HPV problem, even if you were infected with the same strain, probably it wouldn't case any obvious problem and you would never even know it. HPV is very sneaky, in both good senses and bad -- and very individual in its actual health impact. Your partner's (probably past) HPV infection shouldn't be an impediment to any and all sexual practices if and when you and your partner move to that stage.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Your questions do indeed make a lot of sense. However, they also suggest you are unaware of some of the most basic information about HPV -- that it's nearly universal (almost all sexually active people are infected at one time or another, often more than once); that the large majority of infections never become apparent; and that although HPV DNA probably can persist for life, active infection that causes disease or can be transmitted usually is cleared by the immune system within a few months to a couple of years. Also, it is rarely possible to know when and where a particular HPV infection is acquired; if someday in the future you were to have an abnormal pap smear or other apparent HPV infection, there would be no way to know if it had anything to do with contact with your new partner. Below are links to a couple of threads that go into more detail, at least one of which has links to still other discussions. You can also find many others by using this forum's search function; or read the excellent information provided by CDC (www.cdc.gov/std), the American Sexual Health Association (www.ashastd.org), and others.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/low-risk-HPV/show/1498003
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/concerned/show/980849
It sounds like your partner had an abnormal pap and that the issue is now in good control. The information about her immune system clearing it up is accurate, and it seems likely she is no longer infectious and you would not be at risk from sexual activity with her. (In other words, if her pap has normalized, probably she is no longer a "carrier" of the HPV strain that caused it.)
Whatever risk remains, you probably could reduce the risk further by being immunized with Gardasil, which protects against the 4 most troublesome HPV types, including the two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer. If your partner is infected with one of these 4 types, then you will be 100% protected. However, complete protection cannot be assumed until you've had all 3 doses of the vaccine (6 months), although a high degree of protection -- maybe close to 100% -- probably occurs soon after the second dose, one month after the first.
Regardless of your partner's HPV problem, even if you were infected with the same strain, probably it wouldn't case any obvious problem and you would never even know it. HPV is very sneaky, in both good senses and bad -- and very individual in its actual health impact. Your partner's (probably past) HPV infection shouldn't be an impediment to any and all sexual practices if and when you and your partner move to that stage.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
So helpful. Thank you. Yes, you are correct. I had to create a new account, or username, because I couldn't remember my password. The username from the previous email I sent you (two or three years ago) was denver123 or 123denver. may also have been ireland or galwaybay. needless, thank you
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.
