Condoms and HPV

[Griever3000]

Im kind of confused when it comes to this subject. It is said that condoms are efficient in protecting against HPV but not a 100% because they don't cover the skin that is not fully covered by the condom. So does that mean that the part that is covered by the condom will not get the virus but the part that isn't will?

The reason i ask is because i had protected sex and the place where i got the warts are , i believe, at the location called the Corona. Also some under and some by the shaft close to the corona. Even if the condom were to have slipped up or anything, it would have been at the lower part of the shaft.

Just thought id ask. Thank you

[Griever3000]

The first time i was diagnosed was at planned parenthood by a nurse practitioner. I had looked up peary penile papules and she said that it was not. I went for a second opinion to a family doctor, right off the bat he told me they were warts and not to worry about it. So just to set my mind at ease, i wanted a final opinion from a well known dermatologist. The dermatologist i saw, is experienced in his field and has wrote a book on HPV. So if he had confirmed it, unfortunately, the diagnosis was concluded that i have HPV.

I don't go around having sex at all, this was my second sexual encounter that caused me this and i don't remember it lasting more than 3-4 minutes, vaginal intercourse.

the encounter before this was with a virgin. So I'm pretty sure it was because of the second encounter. I was just baffled as to why the warts would show up in a place where even if the condom were to slip, seems like a unlikely place.

I am a straight male. Thanks for clearing up some of the oral aspects of HPV transmission. Im hoping that my current partner was not infected.

@lightning - Hows your progress been? I read somewhere on the forum that you were having outbreaks every couple of months while treating yourself with ACV. Any recent luck?

@holly - thanks for everything. I appreciate your time and reply.

[LightningF]

@Griever3000, you have been to 2 physicians and one nurse, may I ask you a question? Are those people popular in your area? You have to know which doctor has been seeing tons of wart cases because this kind of doctor is the one you should rely on. I have been to 4-6 doctors maybe and one nurse (male nurse) and I could easily tell you which one of them is stupid and which one is not, and reputation never lies. Just like you compare an apple macbook and some random unknown laptop you've never heard of, definitely you can see the difference in quality.

Someone who have seen a lot of wart cases can tell a difference quite easily between a wart and a normal bump. You have to know from people around you which doctor is quite popular among STD victims..

also it's not important who gave you the virus. Online information would tell us the infection can take weeks to months, sometimes even 3-6 months or even 9 months to appear, but my personal experience said it was only about a week. I ever discussed this with a friend who ever had wart too and he believed he got wart just 2 weeks after his latest sexual encounter too so in the end there's no definitive answer to this.

In the end what matter the most now is to treat your wart every time it recurs (yeah, you have to face it that it will recur several times, sometimes up to 2 years). IN the end you should be able to take care of the virus though and you can feel safe ever since. Just remember to not have sex with some random women/men anymore and avoid this kind of lifestyle. Choose a good person to be your partner to minimize your risk. THere's no 100% STD risk-free in life, even if you choose to be committed to your long term partner you can still get another STD (if she/he has it) but this is better than changing partner all the time.

It's like if you are drunk and you drive a car. Would you 100% end up in a car accident? Nope. Even if you are not drunk and drive safely, you can still get involved in a car accident while a lot of drunk people out there drove home safely when they were drunk. Health is never mathematics. Some people get acne by eating chocolate while some other only get acne by eating whey protein. You have to know how your body works and treat it as best as you can to minimize risk. That's all.

Just consider HPV is a lesson of life. It's true that condom doesn't offer 100% protection to skin-to-skin infection and if you are paranoid about STD just stop having sex. In the end, people who ever get warts like us and DO CARE about it, will live a healthier life in long run. Im quite sure of it. Me, for example, always said no to clubs and drink even when my business associates ask me to do it with them. I said no politely to them.

[Hollyv]

First of all; just because you were diagnosed by 2 physicians does not really mean anything, unfortunately--it is now easy to just say it is HPV. Any many physicians are not really aware of the difference. And no one can tell you over the internet. I would disregard what the NP said as they really don't have enough training to diagnose. No disrespect to NP's, they have a place but I would not rely on a diagnosis from one. Time will probably tell.

There is only a very small relationship between HPV and oral cancer (not yet confirmed or researched well) and it is also appears to be blown out of proportion. The fact that they have found HPV in oral cancer tumors does not represent causation. In fact those that have oral cancer that is related to HPV, the researchers have found that their tumors are easier to treat—not what you hear on the media. Oral cancer is rare—very rare. The incidence appears to be going up very marginally in men but most oral cancer cases are still related to smoking and habitual alcohol use and not HPV.

Your last question regarding oral HPV is hard to tell because no one actually knows the incubation period. The fact that you did not have lesions may be helpful regarding transmission but not definitive. Finally, I believe you are male and I’m not sure if this is a male to male relationship or a male to female relationship. If you are male and you were with a female, it is even less likely to transmit this as the majority (of the rare) cases are in males. And while there are some reported cases related to low risk HPV, it is usually high risk. And even if it were high risk, even in the rare cases it is usually in males, so if you had a female partner it would even be more rare that she would contract oral HPV, by performing oral sex. And while there are some reported cases of low risk (which may be what you have) and oral HPV, it is usually high risk that has been documented that is passed on.

I would check out the pictures regarding Hirsuities Coronae Glandis, simply due to the location that you have lesions. If it does not clear up, then take the literature and the pictures to a new Doctor.

I think it is time to relax and put all the “what if’s” out of your mind. This will clear with time.

[Griever3000]

Hey Holly,

Thanks so much for your reply. I have heard of P.P.Papules, unfortunately i was diagnosed by 2 physicians and a nurse practitioner for GW.

You're right about the stigma HPV carries, scaring most people. Im just hoping to clear the infection with treatment and hoping that i am one of those people who do not get a recurrence or transmit the virus to anyone.

I had one more question if you don't mind, wondering if you know anything about this or not as i seem to have a hard time finding any information about it. The time between the first exposure and where the lesions first develop, if someone where to have gave me oral sex at that time are they chances of them getting oral hpv high? Thanks once again Holly.

[Hollyv]

The reason that condoms are not 100% effective is GW can spread due to a process called viral shedding. In general terms small pieces of the wart with the virus attached break off. This happens with friction during intercourse, masturbation and genital manipulation—either self or with a partner. You can spread it to other areas just by putting on or taking off of a condom; in some cases. It appears that some people are susceptible and will get GW’s while some people will be totally immune probably due to their genetic make up. You will often see a person that has GW’s and their partner does not and nor will that partner ever get it. Probably no different than being in a room of 10 people with a person that is ill with a viral cold, a couple of people will get it and others will not.

You might want to look up the term Hirsuities Coronae Glandis—Wikipedia might be a good place to start (I think they may have pictures, if they don’t have pictures other sites do). From what you describe it is possible that you do not have HPV. I’m not sure if you were self diagnosed with HPV or if a physician diagnosed you; but hirsuities coronae glandis (also called pearly penile papules) can be confused with HPV. It is not an STD and it is normal. I tend to think that more men have this condition and think they have genital warts and then they think their genital warts have not gone away but they actually may be misdiagnosed and do not have HPV at all. There is a condition that is called Hirsuties Papillaris Vulvae that occurs in the vulva of women and I’m afraid that this is also often confused with HPV. This is also a benign normal condition.

The media has focused so much on HPV that it scares most people. Most HPV infections clear within a short period of time.