Aa
concerned
hi, Im a 24 year old female. 2 years ago had bumps which happened 2 be genital warts (from my 1st ever sexual relationship).
The dr. (2 yrs ago) ordered a colposcopy + biopsy and removed the warts. After 1 year had another colposcopy & didnt ve any warts but showed some abnormal changes - only low grade & nothing malignant. D beginning of this year the dr. told me to keep on having a smer yearly since the body will get rid of the low grade changes due the hpv on its own. 1.souldnt it have already cleared itself and showed normal in the smer if it was not persistent & serious?
After 2 years the warts never showed up, but the smer showed again abnormal while i was recently in another relationship and had 1 encounter without protection with this person...all the other times we used condoms. We also engaged in oral sex.
2. How safe is to engage in oral sex in my case? 3. Should I tell him to stop doing it since i dont want to give him anything?
I am concerned that i could ve transmitted the infection to this person - drs never mentioned that i can transmit it 2 others so easily! just that it was an sti and it will go on its own. They did mention to use protection though.
I am now concerned about transmission and I told to this person that i now had an abnormal smer. He is very supportive. I am finding it difficult to tell him I had genital warts!
4. Should I tell him although i never had any outbreaks after 2 years? 5.What is the chance of transmission in 1 unprotected encounter? I am feeling im not being honest and i dont want this to disrubt our relationship....and its making me feel continously anxious.
I saw another dr. and suggested to have smers every 6 months now.
6.Im confused cos i don’t know if i have low or high risk...or both? 7.Or since i have the abnormal smer does it means that the low risk is still active although no warts are present? I asked my gyne to test for hpv strains & said its pointless now and smers are enough
thanks!
The dr. (2 yrs ago) ordered a colposcopy + biopsy and removed the warts. After 1 year had another colposcopy & didnt ve any warts but showed some abnormal changes - only low grade & nothing malignant. D beginning of this year the dr. told me to keep on having a smer yearly since the body will get rid of the low grade changes due the hpv on its own. 1.souldnt it have already cleared itself and showed normal in the smer if it was not persistent & serious?
After 2 years the warts never showed up, but the smer showed again abnormal while i was recently in another relationship and had 1 encounter without protection with this person...all the other times we used condoms. We also engaged in oral sex.
2. How safe is to engage in oral sex in my case? 3. Should I tell him to stop doing it since i dont want to give him anything?
I am concerned that i could ve transmitted the infection to this person - drs never mentioned that i can transmit it 2 others so easily! just that it was an sti and it will go on its own. They did mention to use protection though.
I am now concerned about transmission and I told to this person that i now had an abnormal smer. He is very supportive. I am finding it difficult to tell him I had genital warts!
4. Should I tell him although i never had any outbreaks after 2 years? 5.What is the chance of transmission in 1 unprotected encounter? I am feeling im not being honest and i dont want this to disrubt our relationship....and its making me feel continously anxious.
I saw another dr. and suggested to have smers every 6 months now.
6.Im confused cos i don’t know if i have low or high risk...or both? 7.Or since i have the abnormal smer does it means that the low risk is still active although no warts are present? I asked my gyne to test for hpv strains & said its pointless now and smers are enough
thanks!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It can't hurt for men to be immunized against HPV, but until the vaccine has regulatory approval in men, it would be expensive and likely not covered by his health insurance. In the US, approval by the Food and Drug Administration is anticipated this year, probably ~October.
If your current HPV infection is due to the same strain that caused your warts, your partner may be at risk even though your warts have resolved. Professional examination rarely is helpful for men who can't see anything abnormal themselves. If he doesn't develop unexplained bumps that suggest warts, there is no need.
If you look closely at your tongue "bumps", probably you will be able to count several of them (usually 5 to 7) arranged in a line like a shallow "V" across the back of your tongue. Normal taste buds. If in doubt, show them to your doctor or dentist next time you're in either office, but it's probably not worth a new appointment just for this.
That will have to end this thread. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
If your current HPV infection is due to the same strain that caused your warts, your partner may be at risk even though your warts have resolved. Professional examination rarely is helpful for men who can't see anything abnormal themselves. If he doesn't develop unexplained bumps that suggest warts, there is no need.
If you look closely at your tongue "bumps", probably you will be able to count several of them (usually 5 to 7) arranged in a line like a shallow "V" across the back of your tongue. Normal taste buds. If in doubt, show them to your doctor or dentist next time you're in either office, but it's probably not worth a new appointment just for this.
That will have to end this thread. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Thanks a lot for ur helpful reply!
Indeed I am unlucky! but as u said it should be viewed as an inconvenience cos else it ll lead you to become obsessive.
I should be starting the vaccine soon. Should I reccomend my partner having the vaccine? or he cannot since he is a male and could ve been already exposed to my low risk infection?
So even if i did not have any warts since 2 years (the gyne also watched out for them) there is still a high risk and high probability he will have them?
Should he go and have a check up for any visible warts?
I have like bumbs on the back of my tongue...ive read about them and they could be taste buds but when u have such infection you become obsessive and think they could be some kind of warts. I also saw like white spots on the side of my lips...im aware they could be forcyde spots. I dont know if these were there before. shall I go to a dentist to check them out?
Thanks again for ur support and expertise.
Indeed I am unlucky! but as u said it should be viewed as an inconvenience cos else it ll lead you to become obsessive.
I should be starting the vaccine soon. Should I reccomend my partner having the vaccine? or he cannot since he is a male and could ve been already exposed to my low risk infection?
So even if i did not have any warts since 2 years (the gyne also watched out for them) there is still a high risk and high probability he will have them?
Should he go and have a check up for any visible warts?
I have like bumbs on the back of my tongue...ive read about them and they could be taste buds but when u have such infection you become obsessive and think they could be some kind of warts. I also saw like white spots on the side of my lips...im aware they could be forcyde spots. I dont know if these were there before. shall I go to a dentist to check them out?
Thanks again for ur support and expertise.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help.
Even though genital HPV is sexually transmitted, it doesn't behave like most other STDs. Almost everybody gets it and catching genital HPV is a normal and expected consequence of human sexuality. You were a little less lucky than some people, because you developed overt warts and an abnomral pap smear. You need to follow your provider's recommendations about follow-up and possible treatment of your abnormal pap; if you do so, you will be completely protected against a bad outcome (i.e., cancer). If you and he have been having unprotected sex, you can assume you and he are now sharing any HPV strains that either of you had. This has no serious implications for your partner's health, except that he needs to keep an eye out for penile warts. To the specific questions:
1) HPV just about always clears up eventually. usually in 6-24 months. Persistent pap smear abnormalities after a year are not unusual. As long as the pap smear shows only low grade changes, the usual recommedation is exactly what your doctor has told you: repeat pap smears every few months to keep an eye on it, expecting that eventually it will clear up.
2,3) Oral sex is safe. The genital HPV strains don't usually take hold in the mouth or throat. When they go, usually there are no symptoms and they clear up. Actual warts are extremely rare. As I said above, you can assume your partner is already infected and that no harm will come from it. There are no restrictions on your sexual practices with your partner.
4) You should tell him. LIkely he'll find out somewhere along the line. You can reassure him about his health just as I have. (Show him this reply.)
5) There are no data for the transmission risk on a per-encounter basis. But it's probably pretty high, at least a few percent.
6) My guess is that you have only one infection. The low risk (wart-causing) HPV strains often cause cervical infection with the sort of low-grade pap smear changes you have. However, there is no way to be sure and it really doesn't matter; the recommendations for both you and your partner would be no different regardless of HPV type. In other words, I agree with your gynecologist that there is no need to test for HPV at this point.
One more thing: Tell your doctor you want to be immunized with Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. It will protect you from some of the most likely additional HPV infections that you might otherwise catch in the future.
Please use the search link for many, many discussions about all these issues. Here are some you can start with:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/HPV-Transmission/show/761416
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Confused-about-hpv-interpretation/show/763984
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/hpv-and-oral-cancer/show/758844
In addition, there are some excellent online sources other than MedHelp. See CDC (www.cdc.gov/std), the American Social Health Association (www.ashastd.org), and the Westover Heights Clinic of Portland, OR (www.westoverheights.com). (Full disclosure: Dr. Hook and I are on ASHA's board of directors and WHC is owned and operated by Terri Warren, who moderates MedHelp's herpes forum.)
Bottom line: You should look at your HPV infection as an inconvenience, nothing more. It will not become an important health risk for either you or your partner, as long as you follow your doctor's advice about follow-up.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Even though genital HPV is sexually transmitted, it doesn't behave like most other STDs. Almost everybody gets it and catching genital HPV is a normal and expected consequence of human sexuality. You were a little less lucky than some people, because you developed overt warts and an abnomral pap smear. You need to follow your provider's recommendations about follow-up and possible treatment of your abnormal pap; if you do so, you will be completely protected against a bad outcome (i.e., cancer). If you and he have been having unprotected sex, you can assume you and he are now sharing any HPV strains that either of you had. This has no serious implications for your partner's health, except that he needs to keep an eye out for penile warts. To the specific questions:
1) HPV just about always clears up eventually. usually in 6-24 months. Persistent pap smear abnormalities after a year are not unusual. As long as the pap smear shows only low grade changes, the usual recommedation is exactly what your doctor has told you: repeat pap smears every few months to keep an eye on it, expecting that eventually it will clear up.
2,3) Oral sex is safe. The genital HPV strains don't usually take hold in the mouth or throat. When they go, usually there are no symptoms and they clear up. Actual warts are extremely rare. As I said above, you can assume your partner is already infected and that no harm will come from it. There are no restrictions on your sexual practices with your partner.
4) You should tell him. LIkely he'll find out somewhere along the line. You can reassure him about his health just as I have. (Show him this reply.)
5) There are no data for the transmission risk on a per-encounter basis. But it's probably pretty high, at least a few percent.
6) My guess is that you have only one infection. The low risk (wart-causing) HPV strains often cause cervical infection with the sort of low-grade pap smear changes you have. However, there is no way to be sure and it really doesn't matter; the recommendations for both you and your partner would be no different regardless of HPV type. In other words, I agree with your gynecologist that there is no need to test for HPV at this point.
One more thing: Tell your doctor you want to be immunized with Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. It will protect you from some of the most likely additional HPV infections that you might otherwise catch in the future.
Please use the search link for many, many discussions about all these issues. Here are some you can start with:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/HPV-Transmission/show/761416
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Confused-about-hpv-interpretation/show/763984
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/hpv-and-oral-cancer/show/758844
In addition, there are some excellent online sources other than MedHelp. See CDC (www.cdc.gov/std), the American Social Health Association (www.ashastd.org), and the Westover Heights Clinic of Portland, OR (www.westoverheights.com). (Full disclosure: Dr. Hook and I are on ASHA's board of directors and WHC is owned and operated by Terri Warren, who moderates MedHelp's herpes forum.)
Bottom line: You should look at your HPV infection as an inconvenience, nothing more. It will not become an important health risk for either you or your partner, as long as you follow your doctor's advice about follow-up.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
