I have HPV...what now?

[Teresainpain]

I previously posted a question regarding some skin abnormality I noticed in my genital region.  Those who responded suggested that it might be hpv and after seeing a doctor, she told me that it was in fact hpv.  She says that she wants to freeze them off, but she didn't really tell me much about it so I feel like I've been diagnosed with something that I know nothing about and that really really scares me.  I have stopped having sex with my bf until I know what else to do.  Are there tests that can be done so that he can check if he has it too?  How often do these warts recur?  Is the freezing painful?  Basically I want to know if I'm totally screwed.  I've been very upset about this since I went to the doctor last thurs.  I could really use some information here.  Please help me in any way you can.

Thanks

[submsd]

Hi, everyone!
I was just diagnosed with HPV. I haven't had any symptoms, though. The only reason I was tested for it was because I had requested it. I feel so dirty and irresponsible. I'm fairly certain I contracted it from my fiance so I know at one point of another he would have given it to me. I just can't help but be mad at him. My current doctor was very vague with the information she gave me and only said to return in 6 months for another test. However, cancer runs in my family so I think I will get tested every 3 instead. It is comforting to hear other women's stories and know I'm not alone.

[oceans3]

you have a great attitude and you sound as if you are dealing with in the best way you can. your reaction is normal (about feeling dirty)and hopefully you can get this under control and move on. thanks for the update!

[Teresainpain]

Thank you guys so much. I spoke with him a few nights ago and he is going to the doctor tomorrow morning to check a full round of std testing including hpv.  He's concerned but we're dealing with it together.  And I agree with you that there's no point in trying to pinpoint who got it first because blame will only worsen this situation.  I'm just concerned that I will get frequent breakouts.  I just went yesterday to get them frozen of and it hurt like a b*$#%.  It's really nice to hear that other women are going through the same thing I am and it really sucks to feel so dirty and unfeminine.  I'm feeling a bit better about it now that I went to the doctor and had it treated.  I have another follow up appt for next week so hopefully we can get rid of all of them.  By the way, does anyone know what mulluscolum is? Anyways, thanks again ladies

[mami1323]

I have it as well.  I was diagnosed with it about 4 years ago.  I only had a tiny little thing, what seemed to resemble a scratch.  My doctor too said almost everyone has it and as long as you get regular annual pap smears it really isn't much to worry about.  She also said it's impossible to tell who gave it to me because it can lay dormant for years.  But I haven't had a problem with it and I haven't had any outbreaks so don't stress about it too much hon.  As you can see it is very common.  Plus don't rely too much on what you read on the web because it can freak out anyone.  They show the worst case scenarios and really can drive a person insane.  Once I had a swollen hair bump and I thought it was herpes.  I went online and read about herpes and scared the **** out of myself reading the stories and looking at the pictures.  Just get info from your doctor.  Have her mail you a pamphlet about it.  Just relax.

[Teresainpain]

Thanks a lot for your response.  I will talk to my doctor so I can get some more information.  I'm going to discuss this with my boyfriend tonight so wish me luck

[tylersmum]

I have it too and every doctor has told me that almost every perosn has it and it is not a big concern because as long as they monitor you for cervical cancer you should be fine. It is a virus that can go away. Mine did and i just recently had a baby and the HPV does nothing to your child. :-)

[Teresainpain]

Thanks to both of you for responding so quickly.  That makes me feel much better.  It's such a hard thing to deal with...and it seems very easy to want to blame the other person for giving it you.  I'm fairly certain that I got it from my current boyfriend as well..I was just hoping that might not be the case.  While I'm kind of angry that he might have given it to me, I also understand that it's not his fault because he probably doesn't even know he has it.  I'm going to ask one more question and it's on a more personal note rather than a medical one.  How should I bring up this topic.  I'm really upset about it but I don't want ot make it seem like a big deal.  What suggestions cna you give me about how to deal with this because I really want to tell him...We tell each other everything and are completely honest with one another.  It's so hard knowing about this and not being able to tell him.  It's very embarassing because he doesn't have any signs of warts...but I do.  As women, I'm sure you can understand how terribly disgusting I feel right now.  I feel like he won't want to touch me again.

[girl522]

Just to help clarify a little more.  HPV has a lot of different strains that can cause either genital warts or abnormal pap smears.  In men, there is no way to test if you have the strain which causes an abnormal pap and the only way to diagnose warts a visual examination.  I would say it is a good bet that you got it from your new bf.  Four years seems like a long time for them to show up.  If you didn't get it from him, he probably already has it anyway.  There are no health issues associated with this at all.  Unless he discovers warts and wants to get them removed there is no need for him to get checked.

[tylersmum]

I told my boyfriend and I informed him that it was not harmful and was very wide spread. He was not concerned about it. You do feel ashamed and it is a normal feeling. I felt dirty but dont worry about it. Let us know how it goes.

[kenziesmom]

HPV can be carried for years without knowing it, so it is possible that you were infected from your previous boyfriend.  I remember feeling the same way you do, dirty and disgusting.  It is amazing to hear how many women are infected with this virus though.  Some have no symptoms and don't find out until they get their annual pap.
I would suggest providing your current boyfriend with information on HPV when telling him about it.  Most men like to see facts.  It may help him to understand that this is not something you could control and that he may be unknowingly carrying the virus.  Make sure you stress that HPV can be carried for years, because nobody needs to be blamed for it.  It's just one of those unfortunate things in life that happen to good people.  God Bless.

[justlittleolme]

unless he actually gets the physical symptoms (warts) then there is no test for men

((hugs)) it is a VERY common sti and your dr should be able to give you good  info

[Teresainpain]

Thanks so much everyone.  And to Kensiesmom, I'm sure you can understand how stressful finding this out can be....especially when you are unfamiliar with it.  The suggestion to google it is a good one...in fact I already have.  But i have to be honest with you, what I found scared me more than helped me.  A lot of sites give statistics of what ratio of people end up with cervical cancer, etc. etc.  And there are also some very disturbing photographs of other cases.  I don't look that bad, my outbreak is very small, but now I'm scared that I'll end up looking like those pics.  I find the internet is not a good place to find out information about this problem because it doesn't give me the information I need; instead it gives me a bunch of information that just scares me.  I'm glad to hear that the procedure is not painful.  I had some scar tissue on my leg once that needed burning off and I found that to be quite painful so the thought of that happening on my "sensitive area" is enough to make me queezy.  Thanks so much everyone for sharing your thoughts.  I also have an anxiety disorder which I'm working on right now as well so I'm not dealing with this diagnoses too well.  I have been with the same partner for two years and we have already been searching for rings so it's safe to say he's the last partner I will have.  The most frustrating part is trying to find out where I might have gotten it from especially since I dont know how long I've had the HPV before I got this outbreak.  The partner I had before my present was 4 years ago and I noticed some light bleeding after sex.  I thought I was just adapting ot the pill or something (which I started a few months before i started having intercourse with him), but now I'm thinking it might have been a symptom of HPV.  Anyways, this is very hard to deal with because I come from a nice family and I am far from promiscuous.  I feel guilty and gross.  I am still thinking of a way to tell my bf about it.  I won't have any sexual contact with him until I figure this out and I want him to get checked as well, but I just don't know how to tell him yet.  I feel disgusting and I don't want him to look at me differently, especially if it turns out he doesn't have it.

[kenziesmom]

Over 10 years ago I was diagnosed with genital warts and HPV.  I had the warts frozen.  I don't remember it being painful; they numb you first.  They also had to cauterize my cervix, because I had the virus there.  That wasn't painful either.  I do remember having to lie down for a little while afterwards, because I felt nauseus when I tried to get up.  I had to have regular paps every three months for a long time until I recieved a certain amount of "normal" results.  Like I said, that was over 10 years ago.  I was in the college at the time and had only had sex with 2 people.  So, I pretty much knew where it came from.  The guy I was with refused to get checked, so he probably is still spreading it around today.  (I'm not bitter...)
Sometimes HPV goes away on its own.  You may want to ask if they know what strain you have.  I think they can also tell how severe it is.  I think mine was precancerous; that's why they decided to cauterize my cervix.
Rest assured, I was able to have a child.  Keep us posted with how you are doing!

[monkeyflower]

My first and best suggestion would be to read the STD board. In the meantime, you don't need to avoid sex with your bf, because it's a safe bet to say he already has HPV too. Heck, he may have given it to you, who knows; when it comes to STDs, it's almost impossible to tell. And relax. Just fyi, pretty much everyone who's had more than three or four partners (which, really, is pretty much everyone, lol) has contracted at least one strain of HPV. They used to think you were contagious forever, but now think that after six months-year without an outbreak, you've probably cleared the virus and aren't contagious to new partners. But read the other board. You'll feel a lot better.

[needshelp]

If i were you i would call the dr and ask any ?'s you have, if you want quicker answers try googling it.