[Question #4979] Potential HPV transfer and transmission
24 months ago
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I recently read an article (https://www.verywellhealth.com/hpv-and-toilet-seats-514137) from Very Well Heath where the author said that parents might be able to transmit HPV to their children by sharing wet towels and that people could transfer HPV from one area of their body to another by touching an area infected by HPV (the article gives the example of someone touching their genitals and then touching their mouth) and then touching another area of their body.
Based on other stuff I've read online, it sounds like many people who have had sexual experiences (assuming they have not received the HPV vaccination) either have HPV or have been exposed to it. To my knowledge, I have never had a genital wart, but let's say that hypothetically I have HPV. I try to practice good hygiene. I wash my hands after going to the bathroom. I use one towel for my face and another for my body after showering. Etc. Etc.
However, the Very Well article got me thinking about a few scenarios. The first is that after showering and drying myself off, I'm touching a wet towel that has touched my genitals. Also, when getting dressed or undressed or when gathering laundry, I am touching clothes that have sometimes touched my genitals. The clothes are not always wet, but sometimes they are if I have been exercising or something along those lines. To add to that, even though I do wash my hands after going to the bathroom, I'm sure there are times when I touch my penis and then touch my anus during the process of going to the bathroom. Beyond my own personal hygiene, it doesn't seem out of the question to think that someone would use the bathroom without washing afterward and then want to shake my hand.
Could the scenarios I outlined transfer HPV from one area of the body to another or from one person to another? I realize there are different strains and not all cause warts. If the type of HPV and the presence or absence of warts would affect your answer, please specify how and why.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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24 months ago
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Thanks for all the information!!! It sounds like transmitting HPV via a wet towel is not a real thing. However, just out of curiosity, if someone had genital warts and touched them and then touched their mouth, could they spread the warts to their mouth? Or from their penis to their anus?
Since it sounds like Very Well Health is not a very good resource, could you recommend some more reliable places to find articles about sexual health information?
I'm planning to get vaccinated, but I'm in the process of looking for a new doctor. When I asked my current doctor about STD testing, I was given a lecture about abstinence. Also, when I called and asked about the vaccination, the head nurse told me that she would look into it and get back to me. When I followed up a month later, she told me I could get it but I got the impression she didn't want to do it. The whole thing made me uncomfortable and a little squeamish about getting the vaccine from them. While I get that every individual doctor (and nurse) will have their own unique beliefs, is there generally a certain type of doctor that you could recommend seeing for sexual health issues and getting stuff like an HPV vaccine? I don't know if it matters, but my current doctor specializes in family medicine. I'm in my thirties, single, and don't have any children.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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24 months ago
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Thanks a million! You have clarified everything I was wondering about and did it in a way that I found understandable.
I just have three more questions. If you get warts on your hands, is there a chance that through masturbation you could transfer those warts to your penis? And if this is possible, would there be any way to differentiate the warts you wound up with on your penis from sexually transmitted genital warts?
Also, I feel like I talk to a decent amount of people who seem to spit as they talk. Is it possible for someone who has oral herpes to give someone else oral herpes by spitting onto their face in casual conversation? And if this is possible, would the person have to have a cold sore? Or, would transmission be possible even without a cold sore present?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
24 months ago
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