[Question #2660] Genital warts - future partners, disclosure, recurrence?
42 months ago
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This week, I was diagnosed with GW. I had 2-3 tiny warts (and one larger one that developed on an existing cut), had cryotherapy and they are healing. They are positioned far up on the labia almost where the pubic hair begins (nowhere near vaginal opening).
1. When the warts are fully healed, when is it safe to engage in sexual intercourse with a new partner, without putting them in unfair levels of transmission danger? I understand HPV generally lies dormant in the system, with risk of transmission greatly lowered with no active warts (& considering most people have some strain of HPV already).
- I mean sexual intercourse with a condom, no skin to skin contact/rubbing
- Is it safe to receive oral sex?
- Do I need to tell new partners about the warts once healed, if all genital contact is with a condom, but unprotected oral sex?
I want to be responsible to future partners. I will be checking myself regularly with magnifying mirror, + using condoms, no genital skin-to-skin contact. But should I still disclose?
If my warts heal & don’t return, is it true I don’t carry any more risk than any other person who has had multiple sexual partners and so likely has some form of HPV?
2. How likely is it that warts recur? What % of people get warts only once?
3. I always use condoms for penetration, but my last partner rubbed his penis on me in exact spot where the warts appeared. Will they also appear in the other spots he rubbed himself on? He is the ONLY partner who has ever done this.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
42 months ago
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1. Treatment of warts certainly reduces the likelihood of transmission. Condoms likewise reduce but do not eliminate the possibility of transmission. HPV infections do occur in the throat but are less common than genital infections, are likely to be less transmissible. I would not worry about oral sex (giving or receiving). As noted above, we do not feel that disclosure is necessary.
2. Following treatment warts recur in about 20-30% of persons. If no recurrence occurs at three-six month following treatment, you can have confidence that your infection treatment was successful.
3. Warts typically take 3-6 months to appear following sexual contact. it is dangerous to point to one partner or another as the possible source or infection unless you have been monogamous for years. I would not worry about warts appearing at other sites.\
I hope these comments are helpful. The is much good additional information at the ASHA website on HPV and genital warts which you might want to review. EWH
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42 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
42 months ago
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41 months ago
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Thank you so much for your time and expertise.
These are the last questions:
- I found some warts at the entrance to the vagina about 8 days after the initial few. I have now had those treated, too, and they are healing.
o Does this in any way change your original response, ie. because I had the outbreak in two different places am I any more likely to pass it on? Or because of the specific location – is this a higher risk spot for transmission?
o Is this relatively normal, that all the infected tissue had not shown itself at the beginning of the infection? Does this mean that I have a particularly “bad”/severe case, or does it affect the probability that they will return, ie. are they more likely to recur because I found more this time (or is this part of the same outbreak)?
o I want to confirm: when I have healed and my gynecologist says it is physically okay for me to have sex again, you said that I should have lowered the risk of transmission, and that you don’t recommend the necessity of disclosure or undue concern about passing them on. Is this correct? Or, do I need to wait some months after they have healed before the risk of transmission is lowered to low-risk levels, and before I should have sex/oral sex without informing a partner of any risk to them?
Thanks again. I hope I am not being too repetitive or wasting your time, I just want to make sure I have everything straight before this thread closes :)
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
41 months ago
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