Thank you doctor! I knew something didnt sound right. I will definitely do everything that you said to do. I have another question if it is alright. I know it is difficult to test men for HPV without the presnces of bumps, but 1)how is a woman tested for HPV if she never had warts?, 2)is it a separate test along with the Pap Smear test? 3)Can she be diagnosed with HPV if her 2nd pap smear result was normal?
She seems confused and can't exactly tell me how they diagnosed her. From what she told me, the people at the clinic gave her another pap smear test, which came back normal, but because she told them of her past couple of abnormal pap smears, multiple yeast infections, and 'risons' (whatever they are)it seems like they just told her it 'could' be HPV and didn't really test her for HPV itself. They could have tested her for other STDs but I'm not sure if HPV was one of them. So, 4)could they have tested her for HPV itself or are there HPV tests for women without warts at clinics, in this case, after a normal pap smear result? She couldn't really explain to me in detail exactly what type of testing they did, she didn't have any paper work or anything, and this has me confused. I wanted to ask you first these things before I re-question her. *Also, she smokes a lot of marijuana (in rolled up cigar leaves, if that matters), maybe an average of two per day since she was about sixteen. She didn't mention this to the people at the clinic. Other than the major affects of this drug on her, 5)could this possibly affect her bi-yearly pap smear testing, give her multiple yeast infections, or give her these so-called 'risons'? We've been together for almost two and a half years, doc, and we never had any signs or bumps relating to genital HPV or warts. I know that gential HPV or warts can also affect the cervix, but if she possibly could have HPV from a past sexual encounter, 6)could it just be cervical or could cervical HPV also give you warts, and we just haven't had outbreaks yet? I appreciate your help greatly, doctor. Thank you again.
As far as I know, Pap testing is the way to find HPV. I suggest your girlfriend see a different GYN, have her other records released to the new doctor, and ask the new doctor to make sense of it all.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Your doctor is incorrect. Flat warts are usually not transmissible, sexually or otherwise. When I see patients who have them--and I see many--partners (if there are any) never have them. Some people get them on the hands, or arms, or legs. If you could spread warts by touching, all of us would be covered with warts, just from taking a shower.
If your girlfriend has HPV, it may be from a prior sexual contact--it's impossible to say with certainty. If you've never had visible penile warts, then there's no way to know whether you have penile HPV too, and nothing to do about it in any case. But she didn't get cervical HPV from your face. As for the bumps she gets elsewhere, they certainly don't sound like warts. Please also ask her to stop popping them, so someone who examines her can tell what they are. They sound like blocked follicles.
Please go to a dermatologist and have her do the same. You need a precise diagnosis and accurate information, so you can stop what sounds to me like entirely unnecessary worry. If your current doctor insists that facial warts "could" be transferred to another person, ask him or her how often he or she has actually seen that happen and how many times he has seen it not happen. Then get another opinion.
By the way, I often advise people with facial warts to not treat them, because they keep coming back despite treatment, and in the end they invariably disappear on their own.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff