HELP!

Sparrowhawk · Jul 16, 2010

Ain't that medical ad-vice? Can't do that.

BAMARN09 · Jul 16, 2010

not really asking for any advice ...just if anybody knows if thats true or has any info about it

CNL2B · Jul 16, 2010

There is tons of info out there on genital warts. Did she wiki it? Emedicine? mayoclinic.com?

The one thing about genital warts from my OB/GYN education (from a GYN NP) is that it is the most common STD out there. I think that is still the case. I remember something like 25% of the population as a number. I also remember her calling it a "nuisance STD." If I am remembering right, it is like Herpes and once you have it, you can't really get rid of the virus, although you can get rid of the warts, so you can technically always be contagious. I think you can get it even if you use a condom, because it's a skin-skin transmission (not semen/lady partsl fluid.) I would guess that if she is married to the guy, she is eventually going to get it.

Did her doc offer her that vaccine Gardasil? That protects from some strains.

BAMARN09 · Jul 16, 2010

thanks for the info! Im not sure I did mention the vaccine to her though. So i guess thats where shes getting the whole insemination from if you cant get it from semen or lady partsl fluid...only skin to skin transmission

CNL2B · Jul 16, 2010

thanks for the info! Im not sure I did mention the vaccine to her though. So i guess thats where shes getting the whole insemination from if you cant get it from semen or lady partsl fluid...only skin to skin transmission

I'm not saying that you CAN'T get it from semen/lady partsl fluid....I'm not saying that you can, either. I'm just not sure. I do know for sure that skin/skin will transmit the virus though.

jjensen · Jul 16, 2010

It can be dormant in a person's system for years too, so he may not have cheated on her either.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 16, 2010

so i just found out that my best friend is engaged to a guy that has genital warts ...they had only been dating for about 3 or 4 months when she found out (because supposedly thats when he went to the clinic and found out that he had it) they had already had unprotected sex she went to be checked and her test all came back negative. i thought that this would be her breaking and point and that she would leave him but she said she really does love him but she is just too scared to have sex with him i dont see how it will ever work ...i looked it up ...dont really know that much about it myself ...i dont really know anything to say to help her ...she just says that once they get married that they will use protection and that she heard that if they wanted to have kids that she could prevent getting the warts by undergoing insemination ...is that right ..i told her that she could still get the warts even if they do use protection and that she may want to look into the insemination a little further to see if thats accurate ...it doesnt make sense to me..anybody have any info that i can pass along to her?

i'm not quite sure i understand your concern. are you saying that she should leave a man she loves and wishes to marry because he has a std from a previous relationship? because you don't trust him? it's never a good idea to interfere with someone else's relationship. keep the friendship or force your opinion on your friend, but i doubt very much you can do both.

Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN · Jul 16, 2010

You'd be surprised how many women in a committed, monogamous relationship for years still wind up with CIN II and CIN III (or worse) cervical lesions out of the blue after years of normal annual Pap smears, and it's not because there was cheating going on.

Like the cervical-cancer-causing HPV, the genital warts HPV can be dormant for a long time, like a previous poster said. He very well might not have cheated, especially if HPV is the only "evidence" of cheating.

BAMARN09 · Jul 16, 2010

Yeah..thats why I am trying to learn a little more about it because like I said I dont know much and Its not "really" that I am saying that she shouldnt be with somebody she loves just because they have an std its because she told me that she really loves him but Its been hard for her to think about being intimate with him bc of the situation and she was asking me what I thought...she was also really concerned bc she wants to have kids and didnt know how that would be possible if they always use protection. thanks everyone ..this really helps!

MInurse.st · Jul 16, 2010

80% of the adult population has HPV. Just assume that you and all of your partners have it, because that's probably the case. It's likely that they both had it before getting together, it's possible he gave it to her, it's possible she gave it to him.

HPV is a virus with 100 strains, 40 of which cause genital HPV (as opposed to warts on the rest of the body). Some of those strains are considered high-risk, because they cause cervical cancer. Other strains are low-risk, because they cause genital warts. Genital warts are not dangerous, and nothing more than annoying. You are more likely to pass them on while you have an outbreak, but it's possible to pass on even if you don't have an outbreak (just like Herpes).

Many people have HPV and NEVER manifest any symptoms. Some people get HPV, have symptoms once (one abnormal pap smear, or one round of genital warts) and never experience symptoms again, because their bodies took care of the virus.

When you say that she went to be "checked" for HPV and that it was negative, I'm skeptical. There is not a routine test for HPV. The way that it's checked for in women is by a pap smear. If the pap comes back negative, ie. no abnormal cells, this is a good thing -- BUT this does not mean that she does not have the HPV present in her body. She may very well have it and just not have symptoms, as is the case with most people. There is an additional test for HPV, but it's only approved as part of an annual exam that includes a pap for women over 30. So, generally, it is not possible to be checked "negative" for HPV. For men, there really is no test. It's likely that the way he was diagnosed is that he had the symptoms (ie. warts), and the clinician sent a culture to the lab to confirm HPV/genital warts.

You are right that your friend could acquire this strain of HPV from her boyfriend even if they use condoms, because it's transmitted skin to skin. She probably already has it. But this is a strain that causes genital warts, not cervical cancer, so there is really no test to determine if she has it. They only way she will know is if she develops warts, and in this case she just goes to a doctor to have them removed.

The best thing to keep in mind is this: most people have it, and most people will never know it because they won't ever develop sx. The best way to protect yourself is to have protected sex to at least reduce the risk of transmission, and DEFINITELY get regular paps to check for abnormal cells that could be caused by cervical cancer.

Sorry so long.. I work in a clinic, and STD testing/education is a big part of my job.:)

BAMARN09 · Jul 16, 2010

that really helps. Yeah thats what she said ...she told me when he told her she was so mad that she just went in there and said I need to be checked for everything that I can be checked for she said that the NP did a pap smear and then she did some swabs or cultures and then she had blood work drawn