HPV Risk from previous partner

[Nolefaction]

My ex-boyfriend contacted me recently and told me he got a spot on his genitals biopsied and tested to see if it was a wart. Apparently it came back positive for one of the "high-risk" strains of HPV (#16 I think?). We broke up about 6 months ago and he said he wasn't sure how long he had had it for as he just noticed it. It sounds like neither of us have had any sexual partners since we broke up (and I'll believe that anyway because it keeps me focused on my own health).

I have always had normal pap tests but have never had an HPV-DNA test done.

A couple of questions:

1. Should I get an HPV-DNA test in addition to my Pap test when I go to the doc, even if my pap test comes back normal? Is this necessary?

2. If the Pap test and HPV-DNA test come back normal, should I assume I am at a very low risk of developing cervical cancer (as WebMD says) and just keep on with the regular recommended Pap test schedule (I believe it is Paps every 3 years or every 5 years with co-HPV-DNA testing) or do I need to be put on a schedule of more frequent pap tests (annually?) as this may have been a recent exposure?

3. Is there a time period after last possible exposure when (if my HPV-DNA test comes back negative) I am in the "all-clear," (I realize it's never 100% certain) and can feel comfortable?

This link on WebMD is the one that says that getting a double-negative Pap + DNA test is 99.84% certain that cervical cancer will not develop within the next 3 years or more:

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/new-hpv-test?page=2

I'm not really in the business of trying pointing fingers here as I know how difficult this virus is to detect, I just want to be proactive about my health going forward and want to understand the best course of action.

Sorry for all of the questions, obviously I am worried.

Thanks everyone.

[veryworried420]

Something doesn't jive here. The High Risk strain #16 usually does not produce genital warts. Only the low risk strains result in warts. However, most sexually active people have multiple strains of high and low risk. It is possible he was given the wrong strain number or he told you the wrong one.

I am not in the medical community and there are no doctors on here. I don't see any good reason why you would not want to take the HPV-DNA test given the news he shared. If negative, you should cancer is low risk and you should go via the normal test schedule.

2 - 8 months past the last exposure is the usual wait time when genital warts appear. But this doesn't mean it won't appear years from now although that is not likely.

[Nolefaction]

Thank you for the input, vw, I really appreciate it. I am 30 years old, does that change anything? 5 years between paps just seems like such a long time to me. I gather you know about this stuff, is cerv cancer really such a low risk after a negative HPV test and normal pap that it is OK to wait 5 years. Is it likely to develop more quickly than that??