Aa
HPV
All,
I'm a male who recently had a sexual encounter with a woman who later tested positive for HPV. one encounter was with a condom, and another was without. There was also unprotected oral, both fellatio and cunnilingus. I've been in a 10 year monogamous relationship and wnat to ask a few things:
1. I did not know they could test for HPV - is this just for women or can I get tested? If so, what are the windows?
2. What were the odds of her having this? Is this a very common infection? She tested negative for everything else.
3. What are my odds of contracting it given the activity I laid out above?
4. If I got it and passed it onto my long-term partner, is it totally clear that this must have come from outside our relationsihp? or could this have existed from interactions long ago, or gotten through some other means
5. If I got it, how long would it take to clear up?
I feel terrible about all this. Thanks for any help.
I'm a male who recently had a sexual encounter with a woman who later tested positive for HPV. one encounter was with a condom, and another was without. There was also unprotected oral, both fellatio and cunnilingus. I've been in a 10 year monogamous relationship and wnat to ask a few things:
1. I did not know they could test for HPV - is this just for women or can I get tested? If so, what are the windows?
2. What were the odds of her having this? Is this a very common infection? She tested negative for everything else.
3. What are my odds of contracting it given the activity I laid out above?
4. If I got it and passed it onto my long-term partner, is it totally clear that this must have come from outside our relationsihp? or could this have existed from interactions long ago, or gotten through some other means
5. If I got it, how long would it take to clear up?
I feel terrible about all this. Thanks for any help.
Just wnat to add her test was a blood test, no warts, or negative findings from a recent pap smear
1) HPV is detected in PAP smears and more recently blood DNA tests. There previously was no approved test for men, I'm not sure how that stands today so you may want to do your own research on it and find out if the blood tests are suitible for men too (I don't see why they wouldn't be).
2) Very high. It is extremely common and most people experience it at least once in their lives.
3) There is a possibility if you slept with her at a time when the virus was active in her system. Oral sex is a rare way of passing the virus on.
4) It is possible for a virus to lay dormant for years before becoming active in a persons system again, however this is quite rare so it is always questioned when that is the explaination given. The only way it is contracted is through sexual contact so cannot be through other means.
5) 6-months to 2-years is the usual time people take to clear of the virus, a small amount go on for longer
Just to add I have heard of mistakes when doing a blood test to find HPV. It is also odd if her PAP came back normal, yet her blood test detected it and she has no visible warts.
2) Very high. It is extremely common and most people experience it at least once in their lives.
3) There is a possibility if you slept with her at a time when the virus was active in her system. Oral sex is a rare way of passing the virus on.
4) It is possible for a virus to lay dormant for years before becoming active in a persons system again, however this is quite rare so it is always questioned when that is the explaination given. The only way it is contracted is through sexual contact so cannot be through other means.
5) 6-months to 2-years is the usual time people take to clear of the virus, a small amount go on for longer
Just to add I have heard of mistakes when doing a blood test to find HPV. It is also odd if her PAP came back normal, yet her blood test detected it and she has no visible warts.
Thanks for the quick response. couple of follow ups
1. You said there is a possibility of transmission - what do you think the the ballpark odds are. Is it like a 50% chance, 25%, or 10%? Obviously just a guess but want to get a broad sense
2. I have read many people have it and it disappears and they never even knew that they had it. If that's the case:
- if I got it what are the odds it would manifest into discoverable symptoms (warts, other)?
- if i got it and passed it onto my long term partner, what are the odds it would manifest into discoverable symptoms for her (warts, cervical issues, other)? (i.e., what are the probabilities symptoms show up for a man or a woman)?
3. Are there any preventive measures I should take just in case (e.g., antibiotics, or vaccines).
4. Her PAP was in April. This was just an STD blood test. But does your sentence at the end mean anyone who has HPV usually has symptoms, either in pap smear or warts?
5. What are the risks to someone if they get pregnant?
Thanks again.
1. You said there is a possibility of transmission - what do you think the the ballpark odds are. Is it like a 50% chance, 25%, or 10%? Obviously just a guess but want to get a broad sense
2. I have read many people have it and it disappears and they never even knew that they had it. If that's the case:
- if I got it what are the odds it would manifest into discoverable symptoms (warts, other)?
- if i got it and passed it onto my long term partner, what are the odds it would manifest into discoverable symptoms for her (warts, cervical issues, other)? (i.e., what are the probabilities symptoms show up for a man or a woman)?
3. Are there any preventive measures I should take just in case (e.g., antibiotics, or vaccines).
4. Her PAP was in April. This was just an STD blood test. But does your sentence at the end mean anyone who has HPV usually has symptoms, either in pap smear or warts?
5. What are the risks to someone if they get pregnant?
Thanks again.
Also, if i were to get symptoms, how long would it take to manifest?
1) There is absolutely no way of telling. You had unprotected sex with somebody who was infected, I'm guessing her blood test was around that time in which you had sex, meaning the virus was active in her system. Therefore your chances are very very high for getting the virus, as it is very contagious.
2) Bare in mind there are two seperate strains, you might want to find out which strain she had. The high risk causes cell changes and if left untreated can turn into cancer, and can also turn into cancer for men (rarely). The low risk strain turns into warts. It is possible to have more than one strain and there are hundreds of them. The majority of people with the virus do not experience symptoms, this is more prominent in men I believe. Remember though, just because there are no visible symptoms doesn't mean you can't pass the virus on. Even if you go without symptoms, you may still pass it onto her and she may show symtoms.
3) There are no antibiotics as those are used to treat infections (such as chlamydia), wheras this is a virus and cannot be cured so to speak. It only goes away over time because of the body building immunity. There are vaccines that prevent against the most common strains, however if you already have one of those strains it will not affect it in anyway, so it is up to you if you get the vaccine. As it is a virus which we can build immunity to, the best thing to do is stay healthy, take vitamin supplements, quit smoking/drink less and stay stress free. Ill health or stress will only aggrivate the virus and provoke a reaction to it. Also if you sleep with your partner you should either tell her beforehand of the risks and use protection or abstain from sex until you can look into blood tests for men.
4) So her PAP was around three months prior to the blood test? If she had HPV back in April, it may not of been active in her system and thats why it wasn't detected (if it was infact a high risk strain of HPV). However as the blood tests can sometimes be inaccurate I was just suggesting she do another test or something, as if it was high risk HPV that was in her blood test, it would be unusual for that not to be detected in her PAP, but as it was 3 months ago it may of been laying dormant and thats why. Genital warts are usually not picked up in PAPs as they are from a different strain of HPV, and that would explain why they were found in the blood test and not the PAP. It would be a good idea to find out which strain she has.
5) It usually proves no problem for pregnant women, as transmitting the virus during birth is very unlikely. Most (if not all) women go on to have natural births
2) Bare in mind there are two seperate strains, you might want to find out which strain she had. The high risk causes cell changes and if left untreated can turn into cancer, and can also turn into cancer for men (rarely). The low risk strain turns into warts. It is possible to have more than one strain and there are hundreds of them. The majority of people with the virus do not experience symptoms, this is more prominent in men I believe. Remember though, just because there are no visible symptoms doesn't mean you can't pass the virus on. Even if you go without symptoms, you may still pass it onto her and she may show symtoms.
3) There are no antibiotics as those are used to treat infections (such as chlamydia), wheras this is a virus and cannot be cured so to speak. It only goes away over time because of the body building immunity. There are vaccines that prevent against the most common strains, however if you already have one of those strains it will not affect it in anyway, so it is up to you if you get the vaccine. As it is a virus which we can build immunity to, the best thing to do is stay healthy, take vitamin supplements, quit smoking/drink less and stay stress free. Ill health or stress will only aggrivate the virus and provoke a reaction to it. Also if you sleep with your partner you should either tell her beforehand of the risks and use protection or abstain from sex until you can look into blood tests for men.
4) So her PAP was around three months prior to the blood test? If she had HPV back in April, it may not of been active in her system and thats why it wasn't detected (if it was infact a high risk strain of HPV). However as the blood tests can sometimes be inaccurate I was just suggesting she do another test or something, as if it was high risk HPV that was in her blood test, it would be unusual for that not to be detected in her PAP, but as it was 3 months ago it may of been laying dormant and thats why. Genital warts are usually not picked up in PAPs as they are from a different strain of HPV, and that would explain why they were found in the blood test and not the PAP. It would be a good idea to find out which strain she has.
5) It usually proves no problem for pregnant women, as transmitting the virus during birth is very unlikely. Most (if not all) women go on to have natural births
Again, thank you.
In general, what % of women and men show symptoms when they have HPV, and what % just come and go without symptoms?
In general, what % of women and men show symptoms when they have HPV, and what % just come and go without symptoms?
Ultimately what i'm asking is, i was unfaithful, but will never be again. There is a chance I may have it, and i keep reading a lot of stories saying even if transmitted, it is very common and usually clears on its own anyway.
My partner is 33. How much should I let this worry me. Should I limit or avoid sex with her as much as possible? Or should I carry on with life, because it's not likely even if I have it and she gets it from me it will ever represent in symptoms or problems? Do I have to tell her?
My partner is 33. How much should I let this worry me. Should I limit or avoid sex with her as much as possible? Or should I carry on with life, because it's not likely even if I have it and she gets it from me it will ever represent in symptoms or problems? Do I have to tell her?
I'm not sure in percentage. Most do not have symptoms, but its difficult to get a percentage because those who do not have symptoms, never get tested and never know - so you cant really chalk up a definitive percentage.
Your exposure was a high risk one as the sex was unprotected. If I were you, I would not risk it by carrying on as normal, because there is always a chance that you could pass it onto her and she can have symptoms. Also, if its high risk HPV and its left untreated it could lead to cervical cancer, so I wouldn't want to risk that either. If she gets her PAP and it comes back positive for HPV, she will be left confused and hurt that you never told her, if you tell her its from an exposure from years ago she will still be annoyed that you never told her of the risk, and judging from the many women that post on this site, she will probably do her research and question you. It is up to you what you do, but if it were me I would tell my partner of the incident and of the risk, or I would atleast mention that there is a risk and say that it was from years before. It is ultimately your decision, that is just what I would do
Your exposure was a high risk one as the sex was unprotected. If I were you, I would not risk it by carrying on as normal, because there is always a chance that you could pass it onto her and she can have symptoms. Also, if its high risk HPV and its left untreated it could lead to cervical cancer, so I wouldn't want to risk that either. If she gets her PAP and it comes back positive for HPV, she will be left confused and hurt that you never told her, if you tell her its from an exposure from years ago she will still be annoyed that you never told her of the risk, and judging from the many women that post on this site, she will probably do her research and question you. It is up to you what you do, but if it were me I would tell my partner of the incident and of the risk, or I would atleast mention that there is a risk and say that it was from years before. It is ultimately your decision, that is just what I would do
And yes it does usually clear on its own but the time frame is 6 months - 2 years, and 10% struggle to get rid of the virus for longer. It is impossible to tell where you will be within this time frame, so it is up to you what to do. It is a very difficult situation
Thanks for your thoughts and sensitivity. This is a tough one.
1. Because I already regretted the interaction and would never repeat. I didn't need this HPV scare to get me to stop.
2. Most people don't get tested like this person so normally I wouldn't even know and since the majority of people get HPV at some point and never have symptoms and never know, in some ways ignorance is bliss. If I got it years ago i wouldnt even know so if it came up in my partner we'd face the same questions
3. It's not guaranteed i have it, it's not guaranteed I pass it to my partner, and if she gets it actually more likely her body cures it without her knowing (correct me if i'm wrong about this), and even if she ends up having it there is the small chance she already had it.
I realize the problem is I put myself in this position in the first place. It just seems like it is more possible this never becomes an issue, while confessing it could kill our relationship (which would still be my fault).
1. Because I already regretted the interaction and would never repeat. I didn't need this HPV scare to get me to stop.
2. Most people don't get tested like this person so normally I wouldn't even know and since the majority of people get HPV at some point and never have symptoms and never know, in some ways ignorance is bliss. If I got it years ago i wouldnt even know so if it came up in my partner we'd face the same questions
3. It's not guaranteed i have it, it's not guaranteed I pass it to my partner, and if she gets it actually more likely her body cures it without her knowing (correct me if i'm wrong about this), and even if she ends up having it there is the small chance she already had it.
I realize the problem is I put myself in this position in the first place. It just seems like it is more possible this never becomes an issue, while confessing it could kill our relationship (which would still be my fault).
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