Aa
hpv
I had got diagnosed with. Low risk. Hpv. In 1999. I had surgery and. Haven't. Had. Warts. Since. Down there. Ive had. A few tiny ones in my pubic hair area. Though. Can. Your. Immune. System. Cure. Virus? And. Am. I contagious. To. My. Partners?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to our Forum. We receive many questions of this sort so in addition to considering the response that I am about to provide, I suggest you seach the Forum for other posts about HPV and genital warts. In addition, while I suggest you stay off of the internet in general because there is so much mis-information out there, I do suggest that you take a look at the American Sociaal Health Association web site which is an excellent source of inferomation (disclosure, both Dr. Handsfield and I ahave close ties to ASHA- he is on their Board of Directors and I am a former President of the Board).
You had HPV is the past, more than a decade ago, were treated and now are concerned that there might be persisting infection and that you should disclose to future sexual partners. For better or worse, if your partners have had other sex partners, they, like you, are likely to have had HPV in the past, whether they know it or not. Over 85% of Americans have or will have HPV with most infections occurring rather soon after persons become sexually active. When persons get HPV in the vast majority of cases your immune system will control the infection in less than 18 months, erradicating any signs and making you no longer infectious for partners and no longer at risk for the consequences of HPV infection (mostly cerivcal cancer in women). If you get regular PAP smears as recommended, you need not worry about the consequences of your past HPV.
As far as disclosure, HPV is the one STD that we do not routinely recommend disclosure to partners about. At least with some partners, the issue becomes emotional, largely due to mis-information and unwarranted stigma attached to the infection. Disclosure is a personal choice,. We do believe it is to everyone's advantage to discuss past partners with a new partner, to ask if a prospective partner has STDs and has been checked in the past as it helps the relationship going forward. In many instances we encourage persons initiating a new sexual relationship to go and get tested together to remove any STD concerns from the developing relationship but again, sometimes that is not possible or practical.
I hope these comments and perspectives are helpful to you. EWH
You had HPV is the past, more than a decade ago, were treated and now are concerned that there might be persisting infection and that you should disclose to future sexual partners. For better or worse, if your partners have had other sex partners, they, like you, are likely to have had HPV in the past, whether they know it or not. Over 85% of Americans have or will have HPV with most infections occurring rather soon after persons become sexually active. When persons get HPV in the vast majority of cases your immune system will control the infection in less than 18 months, erradicating any signs and making you no longer infectious for partners and no longer at risk for the consequences of HPV infection (mostly cerivcal cancer in women). If you get regular PAP smears as recommended, you need not worry about the consequences of your past HPV.
As far as disclosure, HPV is the one STD that we do not routinely recommend disclosure to partners about. At least with some partners, the issue becomes emotional, largely due to mis-information and unwarranted stigma attached to the infection. Disclosure is a personal choice,. We do believe it is to everyone's advantage to discuss past partners with a new partner, to ask if a prospective partner has STDs and has been checked in the past as it helps the relationship going forward. In many instances we encourage persons initiating a new sexual relationship to go and get tested together to remove any STD concerns from the developing relationship but again, sometimes that is not possible or practical.
I hope these comments and perspectives are helpful to you. EWH
Thank you doctor.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Last answers.
I outline the ongoing debate about self cure vs. dormancy above. Irrespective, after the wart is gone it is no longer transmissable..
It would be unusal if you had warts in your pubic area. I would not assume its a wart. If it is (which I doubt) it may be a new infection.
A wart on your finger has no relationship to your prior genital warts. They are different types of HPV virus. Different HPV types infect different sorts of skin surfaces.
This will end this thread. EWH
I outline the ongoing debate about self cure vs. dormancy above. Irrespective, after the wart is gone it is no longer transmissable..
It would be unusal if you had warts in your pubic area. I would not assume its a wart. If it is (which I doubt) it may be a new infection.
A wart on your finger has no relationship to your prior genital warts. They are different types of HPV virus. Different HPV types infect different sorts of skin surfaces.
This will end this thread. EWH
I just wanted to make myself clear one lastime, the body can clear both high and low risk hpv viruses complety, or does the body just make them dorment. Also, you become non infectious when your Havint had warts in more than two years. Ive got the virus when i was 15yrs old forsure iam 28yrs old now.and Havint had a breakout on vulva since, but have developed a tiny single wart or two high up in my pubic hair a few years ago could that mean i still have the virus but its very low?. I did pass the virus to a boyfriend when i was 16 though, so you can understand my concern of infecting any future partners. Also if i have a wart around my fingernail is that the same strand of hpv that i had on my genitals?, ive have a stubborn finger wart that wont go away after multiple treaments.. i appreciate all your responses, it definitely helps learn about this virus your very helpful and kind. Thank you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You are correct, our knowlege of this very, very common infection is expanding quickly and, unfortunately, is fueling sensationalistic and anxiety provoking statements in the media and on the internet. The fact however is that it is our knowledge that is increasing, not the infection or its consequences. In fact the consequences of import appear to be declining. Please don't let the sensationalism get to you.
For more information, there is excellent, highly informative information available at the web site run by the American Social Health Association. (Disclosure. Dr. Handsfield and I are both associated with ASHA. I am the former Chair of their Board of Directors and Dr. Handsfield is currently a member of the ASHA Board of Directors.) EWH
For more information, there is excellent, highly informative information available at the web site run by the American Social Health Association. (Disclosure. Dr. Handsfield and I are both associated with ASHA. I am the former Chair of their Board of Directors and Dr. Handsfield is currently a member of the ASHA Board of Directors.) EWH
Thank you for your information. Theres alot of mixed answers about hpv but now i feel better.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No, there are no tests recommended for HPV screening. Between your normal PAP smears, your HPV vaccine and the time since your infection you are at little risk for re-infection with the types of HPV which caused your warts in 99.
As far as the issue of HPV infections being "lifelong", from my perspective this is a matter of semantics. I've pasted a statement made to a prior client below which addresses this-
"Many HPV biologists believe HPV DNA usually or always persists indefinitely. However, even with the most sensitive tests available in research labs, the virus becomes undetectable, typically over several months to a year or two -- longer for the high-risk (cancer-associated) HPV types, shorter for low risk and wart-causing strains like HPV-6 and -11. After that, it is uncommon for that particular infection to reactivate -- i.e. recurrent warts or newly abnormal pap smears are infrequent -- and subsequent transmission to sex partners is rare. So for practical purposes, the infection is completely resolved and can be considered cured. "Uncommon" doesn't mean these things never happen; they do, but infrequently.
So you can understand how some experts interpret these issues into conflicting messages: "Most HPV infections are cured by treatment and/or the immune system" versus "HPV persists and is never really cured". My own perspective is the first of these: people should consider themselves cured when all signs of their HPV infection are gone and there is no recurrence within a few months."
Thus there is a difference between possible persistence of viral DNA and your being infectious for others. My sense is that you are worrying about this more than you need to be. EWH
As far as the issue of HPV infections being "lifelong", from my perspective this is a matter of semantics. I've pasted a statement made to a prior client below which addresses this-
"Many HPV biologists believe HPV DNA usually or always persists indefinitely. However, even with the most sensitive tests available in research labs, the virus becomes undetectable, typically over several months to a year or two -- longer for the high-risk (cancer-associated) HPV types, shorter for low risk and wart-causing strains like HPV-6 and -11. After that, it is uncommon for that particular infection to reactivate -- i.e. recurrent warts or newly abnormal pap smears are infrequent -- and subsequent transmission to sex partners is rare. So for practical purposes, the infection is completely resolved and can be considered cured. "Uncommon" doesn't mean these things never happen; they do, but infrequently.
So you can understand how some experts interpret these issues into conflicting messages: "Most HPV infections are cured by treatment and/or the immune system" versus "HPV persists and is never really cured". My own perspective is the first of these: people should consider themselves cured when all signs of their HPV infection are gone and there is no recurrence within a few months."
Thus there is a difference between possible persistence of viral DNA and your being infectious for others. My sense is that you are worrying about this more than you need to be. EWH
Is there any test to show im clear of the wart virus? And i have gotten the hpv vaccine a few years back, am i protected from future reinfection if im no longer a carrier?.... why do most doctors say that hpv is a life long std??
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Given all that you have described, I would not expect you to be infectious at this time. EWH
So if i had warts years ago i cant give them to someone now ?
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
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