In 2019 I was dating this guy for 2 1/2 months we have protected sex at all times, we broke up and 8 ish months later he texted me saying he was diagnosed with warts, saying that he was clear before being with me. When he texted me I had already been dating someone else for 3 months, who I am still currently with.  After that months I had a pap which came black clear, I didn’t have any warts. 5 months after my pap I found two white patches in my vulva which were biopsied and came back as Vin1 they were removed and did not come back. At this point me and my boyfriend have been together for about 1 year and a couple of months. I panicked and asked him to go get checked for genital warts to see if he has developed any, he got checked and he came back clear. We stopped oral sex completly. we have 3 more months till we hit our 2 years together mark and no warts on neither of us. 

question one:  Could my ex boyfriend wart be because of me did I infect him when I myself have never had warts.? 

2. I constantly  think about if Me or current boyfriend will develop genital warts being so close to our 2 year mark , what is the chance that we will get warts ? 

3.  when I was with my ex he never had warts, could he have infected me from this whole situation? 

thank you , 

It rarely is possible to know with confidence when and from whom any particular HPV infection was acquired. Warts can show up anywhere from a few weeks to a year or two, even more, after infection with the HPV that causes them. Conceivably you were the source of your former partner's genital warrs, but not necessarily. And even if you were, i.e. if you had a wart-causing HPV infection back then, it may well be gone by now; the immune system clears most HPV infections over time. With both you and your current partner not experiencing genital warts by now, most likely it won't happen.

Those comments pretty well cover your questions, but to be explicit:

1. Possibly you could have been the source your past partner's warts, but not necessarily. Probably you'll never know.

2. As implied above, if you or your current partner were going to develop genital warts on account of your past relationship, probably it would have happened by now. But if or when warts appear, you won't know the source anyway.

3. Yes, he could have infected you. Or you infected him. Or neither one. It simply isn't possible to know.

Try not to worry about any of this. Nobody wants warts, of course -- but for the most part they are a minor inconvenience, not an important health threat. Every sexually active person acquires HPV, often several times -- it's part and parcel of being sexual, and not avoidable (except by vaccination). Studies from Scandinavia -- where all health records or all persons can be examined and studied -- indicate that 20-30% of all persons are diagnosed with genital warts. Another 20-30% probably have wart-causing HPV that doesn't result in overt warts. Of course see a doctor if warts every show up in you or your current partner. But in the meantime, you really shouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Finally, consider vaccination. You don't say your and your partner's age, but if under 26 for sure you should get vaccinated. It will prevent infection with the 9 HPV types that cause ~90% of genital warts and ~90% of HPV-related cancers (not counting any of those types you already have had). But with or without vaccination, HPV really shouldn't be a big deal for you.

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

HHH, MD

I would never guarantee that anyone will never get genital warts:  with warts occurring in up to a third of all people at one time or another, obviously I cannot give that assurance. And given your past partner's warts, your risk might be somewhat higher than average. But most likely not.

Finally, I will reiterate one of my points above:  Geinital warts aren't such a big deal. It won't be the end of the world if it happens! Please don't lose any sleep over any of this. It really should be so worrisome for you.

Thanks for the thanks -- I'm very glad to have helped. That's why we're here. That concludes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. Take care and stay safe.