Oral HPV

[Stephie3]

Hi,

My boyfriend's ex girlfriend was diagnosed with HPV a year ago.
I gave my boy-friend protected oral sex. I read that oral HPV is a major cause for oral cancer. Am I at risk? Is there a way to test for it?
Should I also get a pap smear test? I'm 30 and have never had vaginal intercourse. Should I get a HPV vaccine?  

Thank you and best regards

[lovelymitts]

hey grace a few month ago i was diagnosed wit hpv6 and 11 and had genital warts.i also gave him oral unprotected.does that mean i have hpv6 on my mouth too?im confused and worried.

[helpme40273]

yes there are test out there for oral swabs for hpv

[Stephie3]

Hi again Grace,

I can't tell you how much relief your words brought to me. Thank you so much!
Now, having overcome the initial shock of learning about HPV, I have now started to think about the future. I really like this person (my current boyfriend, who believes he is a carrier of HPV), and would like to have a future with him. So how should we proceed now? What kind of sexual activity is OK, and what is not? Is it inevitable that I will contract it if we are married one day? It feels like a huge decision for both of us? If things don't turn out well, then he will have contracted me a disease that I risk passing on to others. It is causing so much stress on both of us and the relationship.
Maybe as the doctors on this forum seem to suggest, it is best to view HPV as a very common and not that serious infection (given we go through regular screening) like the flu, and try not to make a very big deal out of it. Again, thank you, and to shaken2core for your patience and replies.

All the best...

[gracefromHHP]

really not a risk either.

[Stephie3]

Thank you so much Grace, that's a relief. And one last question if you don't mind: what about genital to hand, then again hand to genital contact? I touched his genitals and about a few minutes later, I touched my own genitals for a short time. What would be the risk in your opinion?

[gracefromHHP]

you aren't likely to contract oral hpv from french kissing.

[Stephie3]

Thank you Grace. Do you know what strain of HPV can persist in the oral area? Is it possible to get oral HPV through French kissing even if there are no lesions? I guess I am being paranoid after reading alarming aricles online! Thanks and all the best...

[gracefromHHP]

you didn't contract hpv on your cervix from this partner if you never had any contact with his genital area. really was no reason to ask for the hpv test!

the types of hpv that cause obvious genital warts, typically do not cause oral infections. you really are worrying needlessly about all of this at this point!

grace

[Stephie3]

Thank you very much Grace. You are right. I went to see my doctor for a general pelvic examination. I had a Pap Smear test and a HPV test. Unfortunately, the insurance doesn't cover it. I will get the results in a week. I'm so nervous. I hope it will come back clean.

Steph

[Stephie3]

Thank you very much for your answer. He says he has never had any visible warts/lesions. It has been 8 months since he had sex with his ex girlfriend who had genital warts.

I have one more concern, though. I gave him unprotected oral sex and we kissed (deep kissing) too. If he has oral HPV (though nothing visible), could I get HPV on my genitals or mouth? I read that it is possible to get it through oral sex. I am really worried.

I talked to my doctor and he said I should get the vaccine.

Steph

[gracefromHHP]

even though you've never had vaginal intercourse yet, it's still a good idea to have a pelvic exam and a pap test if you've never had one at your age.  There are many things that can be picked up on with the exam and testing so it's well worth doing so.

you are over the age limit for the hpv vaccines at this point. Your insurance will not pay for it .  You can try writing them specifically for permission to cover it and also ask your provider to do so too but they probably will not.

can you get tested for oral hpv? not really. we don't have commercially available tests for oral hpv infection at this point.  since your only contact with his genitals was protected oral, no reason for any fear about having been infected orally with it anyways.

can your bf get tested for hpv to see if he has it? Well we don't have commercially available hpv tests for males at this point. There are tests out there but odds are that his p rovider won't be able to offer them to him.   was his partner diagnosed with hpv on her cervix or did she have obvious genital warts?
grace

[shaken2core]

You gave him protected oral so you are fine.  Unless he had genital warts and you came in contact with them, he did not pass anything on to you.  In addition, many people have HPV and do not know it and never have signs or symptoms.   If your boyfriend has HPV, most likely he will never be able to find out and if you're with him long enough and expose yourself through sexual encounters, you may also contract HPV if he has it.  With that said, the body usually clears its self of HPV over time.  If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it if your boyfriend isn't showing any obvious signs or symptoms.  

You should routinely get a pap since you have different sex partners and to have a general checkup on your health.  There are other issues that can be caught on a pap that aren't related to STD's, etc.

Regarding vaccines, I'm not one to get vaccines, but that's my personal preference, so I would not get one myself.  That's a personal decision for you to discuss with your doctor.