[Question #9544] Seeking specific assistance for HPV-66 in partner & possible sexual activity

31 months ago

I am in a sex relationship with a female (last 4 months)-multiple instances of unprotected sexual intercourse and deep kissing, anal fingering, fellatio, cunnilingus, mutual masturbation. We have spent 2 sexually active periods together in Sep & Nov. After a month's gap we met again in Dec 2022, before any physical contact she disclosed - she has been recently positively diagnosed with HPV-66 (only). She is negative for all other types of HPV. No GW. However, she had developed two condylomas, inside the vagina (benign as told by her doctor) which were freeze-killed on 17th December. She was prescribed the application of a cream on Tue & Fri for 3 weeks. All our tests for immunocompromising diseases came back negative for both of us. We minimised our usual sexual contact, used a condom for once a day vaginal intercourse, only on alternate days since the first day together in Dec 2022, and refrained from all other sexual activity through the week. My penis may have touched her vagina on the outside a couple of times. It has now been 21 days since the freeze-killing of her condyloma. She has been applying her cream as per the prescription. I still have zero symptoms.

From what I have read HPV-66 is ambiguous between HR & LR. Does this mean that if we have unprotected intercourse - Vaginal or Anal I will also necessarily develop condyloma or other cancer related complications? BTW, my immunity is great! Kindly provide more info on the nature of HPV-66, and course of action.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

31 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

When someone tests positive for HPV, often they have had it for a long time, i.e. months or even years. Therefore, you can safely assume you were repeatedly exposed and likely infected with HPV-66 in September and November. Alternatively, you could have had it yourself and are the source of her infection; there is no way to know for certain. The large majority of HPV infections never cause symptoms or visible abnormalities, so probably you will not develop warts, cancer, or anything else. (Even with the highest risk HPV types, such as HPV 16 or 18, the large majority of infections remain asymptomatic and do not lead to cancer, and whatever risk there is probably is even lower with an "intermediate" HR vs LR type of HPV. Beyond that, I have no particular knowledge about HPV-66 in particular, but these concepts -- low risk of overt disease -- applies to all HPV types.

Whether your partner's HPV-66 is the cause of her warts cannot be known: the HPV DNA tests miss some infections. You should keep your eye out for possible genital warts, which typically show up 2 months to 2 years after exposure to the virus. You could consider immunization. However, the standard vaccine used in the US (Gardasil®) covers the 9 types of HPV that cause 90% of warts and cancers, but not HPV 66. That may not be the only HPV strain you and your partner are dealing with; most warts are caused by HPV 6 and 11. However, you can assume you have been exposed already to whichever type is causing her warts, so vaccination may not be of much benefit. Still, it's something to keep in mind, especially if your current relationship does not continue and someday you'll be sexually active with other persons.

Finally, please keep a proper perspective on HPV in general. Virtually all sexually active people are infected at one time or another, often several times. Assuming you have had other sex partners in the past, you can assume you had HPV before you began your current relationship, and as noted above, you could be the source of your partner's HPV 66 infection. Catching and carrying HPV should be viewed as a normal, expected, and unavoidable consequence of being sexual. That your partner has HPV 66 does not elevate your risk of HPV or any consequences from it. It's really not an important issue. You should be entirely comfortable resuming and continuing unprotected sex with your partner. Do not let a minor virus interfere with romance, commitment, and rewarding sex!

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear. You might also share this discussion with your partner: she may find my comments reassuring.

HHH, MD

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