[Question #10224] past genital warts
24 months ago
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i had genital warts in 2020
cleared by 2022
had an abnormal pap in 2021 showing low grade cin 1
doctors said it was more than likely another strain it not the same that caused the genital warts
i changed my diet and everything. i have been avoiding sex for years. is it safe to assume i have cleared the genital wart strain to where i am not transmissible to other people. i want to continue my life as if this never happened is that a reasonable expectation of this virus given the circumstances . i don't wish to disclose this from my past but also do not want to infect others.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question and your confidence in the forum.
I do not entirely agree with your doctors' belief your abnormal Pap smear was a different HPV type than your wart virus. The low risk types of HPV (those less strongly associated with cancer) -- including HPV6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts -- commonly infect the cervix and frequently result in low grade dysplasia (CIN). If HPV testing was not done on your pap specimen, there's no way to know -- but certainly it could have been the same HPV that cause your warts. That said, most people acquire HPV more than once and/or are infected simultaneously with 2 or more types. At this point, there's simply no way to know.
Over time, most HPV infections are cleared by the immune system. HPV DNA may persist, but it become undetectable, indicating either that the virus is gone entirely or, if persistent, is at low levels not likely to cause future dysplasia or warts, and not likely to be transmitted to partners. Most experts agree that after several months with no recurrence, it is not necessary to inform future partners of past HIV infections. There are three reasons: first, that the infection probably is gone and not transmissible; second that all sexually active persons acquire HPV, often several times, and future partners -- having already been infected anyway -- are not at any elevated risk because of sex with someone with past HPV infection; and third that notifying partners often (usually?) just creates anxiety without actually given them any health benefit.
Follow your doctors' advice about follow-up Pap smears. But if they remain normal and you do not have a recurrence of genital warts, you can safely assume the infection(s) is/are gone and your future partners are at little risk and need not be notified of your past HPV issues.
I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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24 months ago
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my last pap december 2022 showed cin 1
they did not do hpv testing and repeatedly assured me it was caused by a high risk strain.
now im very concerned i still may have the wart strain.
i have no had a reoccurrence in two years. should i inform future partners until my pap becomes normal is it safe to engage without much risk of transmission to my partner.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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We try to not overtly disagree with what users report about their own doctors and their decisions or advice. But without HPV testing, there simply is no way your doctors could have known that your abnormal pap was caused by a high risk HPV type. Many (perhaps a majority) of CIN I paps are due to non-high risk HPV types.
In general, the wart causing HPV types do not persist for long periods. It would not matter even if you are still carrying that particular HPV; it is unlikely it will cause future warts or be transmitted to a partner. You're no different than 90% of all women in the US: maybe carrying HPV for life. It's a normal, unavoidable aspect of being human and sexual. It's no more important than the staph and strep on your skin or in your throat (yes, you have those too!) or the E. coli in your intestines: normal bacteria and viruses. That some of these happen to be shared sexually doesn't make them different or more worrisome. Do your best to just live with it: everbody you know is doing so as well, whether they know it or not.
I already said you need not inform future partners. Mostly they probably already are carrying the same HPV strains. Do your best to stop worrying!
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24 months ago
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thank you for the encouraging words. last thing to make sure so even though my most recent pap showed cin 1 lgsl transmission of the wart strain to a new partner is low because i haven't shown any symptoms in two years ?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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You could still have HPV in your cervix, and might want to wait until a follow-up Pap smear no longer shows either CIN or HPV. That said, many prospective partners might understand that most genital HPV infections cause no symptoms or any harm to health, especially in males. Try to understand genital HPV for what it is: A normal virus in the genital area, not avoidable other than through celibacy, often shared by sex partners but mostly harmless, even though some infections can lead to serious outcomes. Of course if a prospective partner is concerned, you should respect those feelings and have a frank conversation about sexual contact with one another. But it should be with the assumption that no harm would come if he were to acquire an HPV infection from you. He's already had it, perhaps several times, and one more partner would not be likely to alter his overall risk of an undesired outcome.
But as I said, if you want to maximize the likelihood you're not infected, you can wait for your follow-up Pap smear in the hope (and expectations) of a negative result.
---That completes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. Best wishes.