genital warts.... very worried

[johnsmith226]

5 weeks ago i slept with a prostitute, however 30 mins before we had sex (protected, but oral unprotected) i had knicked myself shaving just above the shaft of my penis where the pubic hair meets the base. it stopped bleeding very quickly and i thought nothing of it as it was a tiny cut. the condom did not cover the knick.

5 weeks on and i have a brownish mole where i knicked myself that has been there for 2-3 weeks now, it wasn't there before, and there is a tiny mole next to it.

my questions are:
1. Does this sound like genital warts?
2. Are there any other explanations to what these mole-like things might be?
3. Do genital warts normally appear within 2-3 weeks of sexual contact?
4. Will they go away by themselves, get bigger or stay the same?
5. What treatment can I get should I decide to get them diagnosed officially by a doctor?
6. How successful are treatments? Will they return?

please help me with these questions as i am very worried and would appreciate any answers!

[Amie635]

1) HPV is responsible for warts on your hands or any part of the body, although the ones on your hand are not usually transmitted sexually, they are just common warts. The type of HPV  that causes common warts is 2 and 7, wheras the types that cause the majority of genital warts are 6 and 11. 6 and 11 also cause oral warts. Seeing as the wart went away and didn't reaccur (providing its been months since) then you can assume you have a dormant type of HPV in your body and are now clear of that one, though it can reappear at anytime.

2) In the majority of cases there are more than one initial outbreak. Usually though, the first outbreak is the worst one. It differs between people. In the majority of people after 2 years the warts clear and don't come back. There is a smal minority of people who have stubborn warts which reacur for years after. This could be due to lack of health, a weak immune system or luck. Stress has been known to aggrivate HPV as has smoking and drinking.

3) Say you have genital warts (type 6 and 11) they could also appear in and around the mouth. This would occur only if you were to give oral sex to someone who has warts on there genitals. There is little known about oral HPV as it is so rare. It won't spread from your genitals to your mouth unless you give oral sex to someone infected. I once read it is possible for severe cases of genital warts to spread to the anus despite no intercourse taking place in that region. I have also heard from a few people confused as they have anal warts dispite never having anal sex... this may be why, but again, there is little info on this.

4) reoccurances would occur around the same area of infecion. If you have genital warts, they would reappear on your genitals. Not necesarily in the same exact place of the last warts.

5) The difference is low risk causes warts which are not cancerous and do not cause any other health problems. High risk causes cell changes in the cervix which can sometime lead to cancer. It can also cause genital cancers in men though this is rare. Here is a link to a page stating all the different stains of HPV and what each strain causes.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/STDs/Clearing-Up-Confusion-about-HPV-Types/show/53?cid=133

There are no tests for men to see if they have low risk or high risk HPV. They can tell if you have low risk HPV by a physical exam.

Hope I have helped!

[johnsmith226]

Also one last question that I forgot to add:

5) What is the difference between low-risk HPV and high-risk HPV? Is it only low-risk HPV that causes the warts? How can I get checked for low-risk and high-risk HPV?

Sorry for all the questions, I don't know who else to ask.

[johnsmith226]

I have a couple more questions if you don't mind.

1) Is HPV responsible for warts on your hands etc? I once had a wart on my hand, I applied cream over a couple of weeks and it went away and never came back, does this mean I have a type of HPV that is now dormant and 'cleared'?

2) If I get diagnosed with genital warts, get treatment and they go away, what are the chances that they will come back? If they go away and I am 'clear', then will I hopefully be clear for the rest of my life, or could they come back say under times or stress etc?

3) If I have them in one place what are the chances that I could get them elsewhere?

4) Are re-occurances generally in the same place as the first occurance? Or is it equally likely they will occur somewhere else?

Thanks for your help.

[johnsmith226]

They were the best answers I could of hoped for! Thankyou very much!

I will certainly get them checked out, although I can't see what else they could be except warts. Hopefully minor treatment like creams etc will clear them up and I won't get them again.

Thanks again.

[Amie635]

1) Genital warts are usually fleshy growths which adopt a califlower-like shape. They are usually skin coloured but rarely can be brown/red. A mole dosen't sound like a wart, but you should get checked just incase. Everyones body developes different kinds of warts once they are infected.

2) Maybe some sort of ingrown hair/pimple/scab from the cut? Again, get tested to be sure. You never know afterall!

3) They can appear ten years after contact or a week after! It varys from person to person, some people neve develop sympoms.

4) They could do either of those things, which is annoying. In a lot of people there immune system fights the virus, cages it and the virus is deemed 'cleared'. In others the warts get bigger and become unsightly, with more appearing. In some the warts just stay the same size and amount. It is best to get them treated, as you are more likely to 'clear' of the virus if you treat them professionally.

5) Definately get them diagnosed by a doc. It could be nothing, it could be something. The over the counter remedies aren't proven to work so your most effective bet is with prescribed creams/procedures caried out by the doctor which are proven to work. The doctor will have to decide the best treatment for you by looking at the size and location of warts and what kind you have etc. If they are smal and minor you may get a cream like Aldara which encourages the immune system to figh the virus. If they are more stubbon you may get something like lazer treatment or surgery.

6) Treatments are generally very succesful. It all depends on the person and what works for them. After two years 90 % of people clear of HPV. After one year 70 %. If you go symptom ffree for around 6 months doctors advise you assume you are now 'clear' though the warts can re appear at any time. HPV is incurable - the virus is with you forever. Though after time the immune system cages the virus and you become 'clear' and the virus lay dormant in your system. Aslong as you keep healthy, don't smoke, don't drink, take vitamins and do treatment the warts should go away.

Don't wory, low risk HPV which causes genital warts dosen' cause any other health problems. Its high risk that causes cancer in a smal percentage of people. It is possible for someone to cary more than one strain of the virus in the body at the same time.

All in all, get checked just to be safe and carrying on having safe sex! I hope this has helped in some way