Hi all,
Wondering if anyone can help me get a handle on some questions about HPV, specifically oral HPV. Good grief this virus is confusing, no matter how much I read the forums, research papers, etc.
Basically, I had a one-time mutual oral sex encounter with a friend (girl). We didn't know each other as well as we should have, which I deeply regret. Immediately after, I was just relieved we didn't have full-blown intercourse.
However, approximately 1.5 to 2 months later, she had an abnormal pap smear during her yearly check-up. She tested positive for HPV, specifically HPV-16 (of course it had to be the worst kind). Colposcopy, though, ended up showing no dysplasia or abnormal cells.
She confirmed for me that she had tested positive years previous, but had since had at least 5 "normal" paps without HPV being detected.
I have a boatload of questions, and am hoping someone here can provide insight. I'm not posting in the experts forum because my questions are highly subjective/what-ifs. Not looking for absolutes (there are NONE with this damn virus!), but maybe some educated guesses?
1. Does anyone know if HPV is less contagious when no cell lesions/dysplasia are present? It SEEMS like a reasonable hypothesis, but no one seems to know.
2. What are the odds that I acquired an oral HPV-16 infection from this 1 time encounter? 1 in 2? 1 in 10? ELEVENTY-BILLION PERCENT (that's what it feels like)?
3. It's occurred to me that conceivably, *I* could have been the source of this infection. But, it seems unlikely, given that my previous, long-term partner never had an abnormal pap, had only had 1 previous partner, tested negative for HPV, AND I hadn't been with anyone before her, orally or vaginally, in over a decade. Just throwing that out there, because I'm reasonably convinced it's NOT from me (I would've had to have a latent infection, which suddenly activated, and passed it via oral sex to her cervix...seems very unlikely).
4. What are the odds I DO pass this on to the next person via oral sex (or god forbid, kissing), IF indeed i got an infection?
Basically, I'm trying to keep my innate hypochondria in-check, and figure out how much I should be freaking out about this, how reasonable it is to assume I got it/didn't get it, and get some sensible feedback from people who are more rational than me (that's you, dear reader).
Thanks, all. You (and the docs) are all amazing (I've been helped before here after a much lower risk incident that triggered my OCD). I could probably be an MD thanks to MedHelp.