[Question #9255] Can hpv go away but wart stay?
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34 months ago
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I have 3 very small genital warts untreated for more then 10 years and I didn’t know they were warts as they always stayed the same and never got bigger or more.
1- can your body clear hpv but wart stay?
2- warts that stay this long with mean they are cancerous?
3-i have been married for 2 years and have had unprotected sex for a year. What are the risk for my wife? Should we stop having sex ? She is having a Pap smear soon. Does it show hpv ? She is 28 years old.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. I'm happy to help.
True warts rarely last so long. Were they professionally diagnosed? They may not be genital warts. Exactly where are they? True genital warts usually are on the penis or scrotum, and not the groin, lower abdomen, etc. Even if they were true warts, by this time they may have been replaced by scar tissue. Even if professionally diagnosed in the past, you should see a physician now to confirm the diagnosis.
1. Most HPV infections are cleared by the immune system, or at least suppressed to a point that the virus cannot be detected or transmitted. However, in the case of warts, true wart persistence usually means HPV has persisted as well. But as already noted, it seems likely your genital bumps are not actually warts.
2. No, persistent warts this long rarely are malignant. Penile cancer due to HPV usually is more like an open sore, not a wart. And cancer would likely be growing, not staying the same size. But this is another good reason to see a knowledgeable doctor for proper diagnosis.
3. If you have an active HPV infection, or if your bumps are true warts, your wife has already been repeatedly exposed and likely infected. There is no point in stopping intimate contact soon. Most likely your wife's Pap smear will be normal; and even if she has HPV, it won't necessarily be from your warts.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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34 months ago
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Thank you very much! You have been very helpful.
The bumps are on the foreskin and have been there for a very long time probably 15 years. Only one looks like a wart but still very small. They are 3 in total. Assuming they are true warts, are they going to cause any danger to my wife? That’s only what i care actually. She has been having abdominal pain. All of her test came clean but she has a pap smear scheduled next month. I am very stressful .
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
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With the foreskin bumps present for 15 years, I am even more doubtful they are genital warts. If they are, they probably do not risk cancer or other danger for your wife: the HPV types that cause warts rarely cause cancer (and vice versa: the cancer-causing types do not cause warts). She should have Pap smears like all women must -- probably they will be normal. And cancers caused by HPV do not cause abdominal pain..---
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34 months ago
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Thank you so much! If they are true warts and i passed to my wife, are they going to be visible around her genital area or internal?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
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If they are warts, and if your wife had been infected, it would have been years ago, in the first few months after you starting having sex together. Beyond that time, probably she'll never get warts. It is uncommon for genital warts in women to be only "internal", i.e. in the vagina, on the cervix, etc; the large majority occur on the external genitals (labia, vaginal opening, etc) and are easily visible.
You're obviously worried about this, otherwise why the questions in the first place? Why keep wondering and worrying? See a doctor, ideally a dermatologist. Also, your wife can discuss this with her doctor when she has her upcoming Pap smear, so s/he can be on the lookout for warts or other evidence of active HPV infection. But I'm betting she has no such problem.
That completes the two follow-up comments included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful.
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