Growths on partner's penis--warts?

[maggienstella]

i am female and my partner of the last 6 months has two large (maybe a centimeter in diameter) seperate fleshy growths on his penis (closer to the head than the base, but not near each other). they are flesh colored, soft, painless, and irregular in shape. they do not seem to have grown or changed at all since i have known him. he never tried to hide them--told me early on that he has had them for a long time, and that he has been checked out by several doctors who say they are "skin tags"--nothing to worry about, but could be removed if he wanted, which he has been thinking about doing. i never had any reason to think he was not telling me the truth. but today for the first time he described them also as benign warts, supposedly caused by "fatty deposits" . what???? warts are caused by HPV, as far as i know, and are highly contagious.  is it possible he is using the term loosely, or is it likely he has been lying to me?   we both were tested for std's before beginning a sexual relationship, but i was told that men cannot be tested for hpv (i was negative).   also, my understanding is that the type of HPV that causes warts is not the same type that causes cervical cancer. what is the likelihood these are warts vs. skin tags, and assuming that he does have warts and has given them to me, should i be worried about developing cervical cancer?  also, are hpv tests for women reliable?  it is unlikely i will get any more information from him, so i am on my own here...

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I'll try to help briefly, but you have standard questions/concerns about HPV and warts that would take several paragraphs (not to mention a lot of time) to answer here.  You need to read up about HPV/warts, then come back if you still have questions.  Start with the article on HPV/warts in the link at the top of this forum (STD Quick Facts and Articles). You can also look at information provided by CDC (www.cdc.gov/std) or the American Social Health Association (www.ashastd.org).



Your desription of your partner's lesions indeed don't sound much like warts and more like skin tags or perhaps lipomas (benign fatty tumors).  More important, if "several doctors" agree they aren't warts, then they aren't warts.



Yes, the HPV types that cause warts are different than the ones that risk cervical cancer.  And yes it is true men cannot easily be tested for HPV.  Read the articles.



Of course I cannot comment on whether your partner would lie to you; you know him, I don't.  But from what you say, it sounds to me like he is being truthful.  (But you make me wonder whether there is a basic trust problem in your relationship, perhaps more on your side than his.)



Bottom line: It doesn't sound like you have to worry about HPV on the basis of your partner's penile lesions.



Best wishes--  HHH, MD