Approximately what percentage of people will get genital warts after being infected by a wart causing strain? I have been diagnosed with warts (not types 6/11 as I have been vaccinated) on my perineum and am curious to know the chances of my partner getting them when we had unprotected sex (not anal) while I unknowingly had the warts. I have heard estimates from 10% to 50% of people infected with strains 6/11 will get genital warts but is there information about other strains as well (42, 43, 44, 45)? If genital HPV is so common, why does only 1% of the population get genital warts? Is it worth getting PCR testing to find out what strain I have? I have already received one round of cryotherapy for my warts and have another round to go next week. As for future partners, after how much time is it safe to assume I am not infectious? On another note, is it possible to get the hpv vaccine again? I received mine over 10 years ago.

Thank you

I am aware of a well done study many years ago (20 or more?) that found that 50% of newly acquired HPV 6/11 infections in women resulted in visible genital warts. Not all were or would have been recognized by the infected women, e.g. if internal. I also don't recall the observation time -- I believe it was within a year, but maybe longer. However, I have no way to estimate whether the proportion with recognized warts might be higher over a longer time; and I also am unaware of data about other HPV types that might cause warts. Perhaps the most important warning is that these data were in the pre-vaccine era. Of course the frequency of infection with the vaccine-covered HPV types, including HPV 6/11, is now much lower.

I am unaware of data that only 1% of the population gets genital warts. It is far higher than that. In Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark), where universally available health care and data systems probably are most reliable, 25-30% of the population have diagnosed with genital warts at one time or another. That was before HPV immunization; I'm sure the rates today must be a lot lower, especially since those countries have high vaccination rates. As I recall, data in the US (perhaps based on medical insurance records or maybe it was patient surveys) have suggested something like 10-15% of the population, but there are many reasons -- including the Scandinavian data -- to suggest that the 10-15% frequency is too low. Here too HPV vaccination undoubtedly has had a significant effect. If 25-30% of US residents used to get genital warts, perhaps it's half that common today. In any case, you're not alone:  you are among millions who have had genital warts.

We discussed HPV type testing in your other thread, where my reply was "I don't see how knowing the HPV type will help, but feel free to seek HPV type testing if you like." I haven't changed my mind in the last week.

Sure it's possible to be revaccinated against HPV. It's entirely safe, and there is a theoretical benefit:  research has shown that extra (booster) vaccine doses somewhat reduce the risk of reactivation of existing HPV infections. However, this is a very modest benefit, and protection against new HPV infections is not likely to be boosted at all.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

No, your immune system will prevent you catching the same HPV strain again. Couples do not "ping pong" their mutual HPV infections back and forth.

The last answer is definitely yes. Subclinical HPV is the norm; most HPV infections with symptoms or other evidence of active infection (warts, abnormal Pap smears, etc) are acquired from partners without symptoms, i.e. subclinical infection. This is one of the main reasons that it usually is not possible ever to know and from whom any particular HPV infection was acquired.

That concludes this thread. Please note the forum policy against repeated questions on the same topic or exposure. Thanks for your understanding. I hope the two discussions have been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.