Hello Dr. Handsfield,

Previously, you mentioned that I did not contract HPV from the suspicious encounter I had 14 months ago and that the tests were negative. During this time, I researched a lot about HPV, and it made me quite scared. However, something I hadn’t considered happened, and you reminded me of my relationships from 14 years ago. Back then, I had 6 condom-protected encounters with sex workers in Amsterdam, and I have never had unprotected sex. You mentioned that my wife is at risk due to these past encounters. This triggered fears that I had never thought of before.

I have been married for 10 years now, and neither my wife nor I have had any warts. This year, my wife had two HPV and smear tests, and both were negative. Also, her colposcopy examination was clear.

Your statement, "Your wife is at risk due to your past relationships," scared me a lot. Therefore, I would like you to explain the situation in more detail and provide more information on this matter. Do you think this poses a future risk for my wife?

Thank you.

Dr. Handsfield, thank you for your response.

14 years ago, my past relationships were with sex workers in the Netherlands' "Red Light" district, who are under state control and regularly tested for sexually transmitted infections. During this time, I had intercourse with 6 different women, and I always used condoms in all of my encounters. Since these workers are under government supervision, I believe their health status was monitored and they were negative for infections.

Additionally, 45 days after the suspicious encounter I had 13 months ago, the person involved underwent both HPV DNA and smear tests, and both results were negative. I still have no symptoms of warts and understand that the incubation periods are typically 3-8 months

In my research, I found that most people show wart symptoms or test positive for HPV within 3, 6, 9, or 12 months after exposure. It is extremely rare for an HPV infection to appear years later. Generally, HPV cases are evaluated based on the patient's sexual history and testing. In married couples, it is often assumed that one partner's infidelity and concealment of the truth lead to the infection appearing years later, and doctors thus suggest it could be possible for the virus to emerge after a long period. However, there is no conclusive evidence or experiment proving this. I know from the literature that the latent (dormant) rate of HPV is about 3%, which makes me believe that HPV is a very complex issue.

My fear and anxiety stem from the possibility that, even though my wife is currently negative, she might test positive in the future and suffer severe health consequences because of me.

I have come to understand that I shouldn’t ask whether I’ve contracted HPV. Because even if the escort woman's test results are negative, the risk of HPV transmission always seems to exist. This leads to the conclusion that testing devices are not completely reliable. When I say "not reliable," I mean this: For example, if there is a suspicion of HIV and concerns arise, getting an HIV test and receiving a negative result closes the matter, and this result remains valid in the future. However, the negative results of HPV tests are only valid for the day they are conducted and are specific to that day. Even if someone hasn’t had any sexual relations, there’s still a possibility of testing positive for HPV years later. This situation is rare, but how rare?

I am very worried that I will be positive in the future with my spouse; this causes me anxiety.

But when I read your writing, it seems you view this like a flu illness. However, women have died from cancer related to this disease; and although rare, men also face cancer deaths due to it.