some questions about HPV

[wynken.livejournal.com]

I have some a ton of questions about HPV that i thought some of you might be able to answer for me. It would be greatly apreciated!

(btw thanks so much for all the comments on my last post!!!)

1. Can a man be tested for HPV if it is not a wart causing form of HPV? Can they test for it through blood work or something?

2. If a person infected with the type of HPV that does not give warts gives HPV to a partner could it somehow transform into the type that gives warts?

3. Can you get it through oral sex?

4. If 2 partners (male and female) both have HPV (the same strand) but the woman has it vaginally can she get it in her anus if they have anal sex? or should anal sex be avoided completely?

5. How effective are condoms with this type of STD? i hear they don't provide much protection.

6. if a man and a woman are both infected with the same strand of HPV is it ok for them to have unprotected sex?

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i'm sure i will think of a million more. but i guess that will do for now.

i only ask these questions here becaus i can't find the answers in any other place that i look.

THANKS! you ladies rock!

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Can a man be tested for HPV if it is not a wart causing form of HPV? Can they test for it through blood work or something? I don't know about this, but I'd like to find out. I'll try to remember to ask my doctor at this Friday's appointment.

If a person infected with the type of HPV that does not give warts gives HPV to a partner could it somehow transform into the type that gives warts? HPV causes warts. It's what it does. Do you mean the cancer-causing form?

Can you get it through oral sex? Yes, but it's uncommon.

If 2 partners (male and female) both have HPV (the same strand) but the woman has it vaginally can she get it in her anus if they have anal sex? or should anal sex be avoided completely? If he is carrying it on his penis from her vagina, he can transfer it to her anus, though this is uncommon. The same is true for herpes and yeast infections, too. It's a good idea to change condoms between one orifice and the other. That said, her vulva is close enough to her anus that she might be putting the germs there even by wiping. I've never gotten anal warts.

How effective are condoms with this type of STD? They're probably reasonably effective when a woman's warts or the virus are deep inside her, but there's no real assurance, most of the time, that all of the germs are deep inside. My warts are on my vulva, not in my vagina, so the only way to cover them up nearly effective is to use what used to be called a "Reality" condom. Now they're just calling it the "Female Condom" (how boring), and there's more information at http://www.femalehealth.com/. These are really expensive, but other than that, I like them a lot. I like them a little more than latex condoms for the penis.

if a man and a woman are both infected with the same strand of HPV is it ok for them to have unprotected sex? It's very likely, if they've been having unprotected sex in the past, that both carry the same strain. That said, they might not be, and condoms and vulva barriers will provide some protection, but not entire protection. And then there are other things that barriers are good for, such as protecting against chlamydia, HIV, pregnancy, and gonorrhea. If you're going to totally accept a fluid bond, it's safe to say that with frequent sex, HPV will get past the barrier eventually. The question is just how risky you want to be, and how big a deal HPV is to you, ultimately. My primary partner and I have had a fluid bond for several years. We've been using condoms for pregnancy prevention. Recently we discussed whether I should change birth control methods (no method really works for me as well as the condom, but I am not fond of them). We came to the conclusion that condoms do work okay for both of us, and that even though he's probably been exposed to HPV many times, if we continue to use condoms for pregnancy protection, they might continue to protect him, to some small degree, from my HPV. They don't provide much protection (again, it's on my labia) but some is better than none, and it's one of a few reasons to stick with condoms.

Re:

[wynken.livejournal.com]

"HPV causes warts. It's what it does. Do you mean the cancer-causing form?"

yeah i mean the kind of HPV that doesn't give you warts. That is my biggest concern with all of this, the type that doens't give warts. It seems as though most of the women in this community who have HPV only have the wart causing kind. but i want to know about the other kind.

woah thanks so much for all of the info that you have given me. It has helped out a lot. Can you only buy the "reality condoms" online or are those available in normal old rite aid type stores?

I thought of another question today that maybe you can answer for me: Can someone who has HPV still donate blood to the red cross? Or does it have nothing to do with blood at all?

super thanks!! :)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

yeah i mean the kind of HPV that doesn't give you warts. That is my biggest concern with all of this, the type that doens't give warts. It seems as though most of the women in this community who have HPV only have the wart causing kind. but i want to know about the other kind. To be honest, I didn't know the other kind existed, and haven't run into information about it in all my HPV searches. You might have to ask your doctor. You could try "asymptomatic" with "HPV" in google.

Can you only buy the "reality condoms" online or are those available in normal old rite aid type stores? I've only seen them online and at good sex stores. I'm lucky enough to live near Good Vibrations (http://www.goodvibes.com), and buy them there. You can order them online from GV, too.

Can someone who has HPV still donate blood to the red cross? Or does it have nothing to do with blood at all? In all the years I was a blood and pheresis donor, I was never asked about HPV. But you could phone the Red Cross and ask whether their policies have changed. I can't donate blood any more because of a different chronic illness, but it's completely unrelated to HPV.

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

I happen not to have the wart causing kind. I have never had warts. I actually talked to the doctor a while about this. She told me, "the good news is that you do not have the strain that causes warts. Bad news is that you tested positive for the more dangerous kind that can cause cancer. But since you already took care of it, and visit your gyno consistently, you should be fine."

[84.livejournal.com]

Men can be tested for HPV, regardless of the strand, through what is referred to as an anal pap smear. However, it's not tested as a routine pap smear but rather, an "anal cytology" exam, or procedure. Unfortunately, insurance often doesn't cover those tests.

This article (http://www.gayhealth.com/templates/101965427754912761412500002/common/condition.html?record=12) explains a lot, if you haven't already read it, that is.

[enigmae.livejournal.com]

hmm, I didn't know that. I thought there was no definitive test for men.

[wynken.livejournal.com]

the article was about a gay man who had anal sex. what about a hetrosexual man who has never had anal sex? would they still do it through an anal pap smear? that seems confusing.

[84.livejournal.com]

The only difference I can see is sexual preference, which wouldn't change where doctors are able to find diseases. Not to mention there aren't a whole lot of other methods I can imagine that would be relatively simple and painless, on a man anyway.

[enigmae.livejournal.com]

1. I was told and have read in a number of places that there's no definitive HPV test for men, but perhaps I'm wrong

2. The above poster said HPV causes warts. My understanding has been that not all strains of it cause warts however, and in some people even the strains that cause warts won't cause them.

3. You can get it through oral sex.

4. Even if you have HPV vaginally you can get it anally regardless of whether you have oral sex or not. Anal sex might increase the spread of warts though if you or your partner have them.

5. OK, here's the deal. I strongly believe condoms are not as effective against STD's as we hav been led to believe. Though obviously a condom is a million times better than no protection, what I've been reading has led me to the conclusion that a number of STD's are not terribly difficult to transmittable even with a condom. I've had five partners in the three years since I became sexually active, and condoms were used with every single one, every time. I ended up with two STD's (though luckily nothing too serious).

6. I don't know why it wouldn't be ok for unprotected sex to occur between two people with the same strain of HPV, as long as there's no concern about other STD's

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

The above poster said HPV causes warts. My understanding has been that not all strains of it cause warts however, and in some people even the strains that cause warts won't cause them. The way my doctor described it, HPV generally causes warts, though it might stay latent on the body for years, so not everyone who has HPV will have warts. There might be strains that never cause warts. I haven't read that anywhere, but I might have just missed the information.

I strongly believe condoms are not as effective against STD's as we hav been led to believe. Though obviously a condom is a million times better than no protection, what I've been reading has led me to the conclusion that a number of STD's are not terribly difficult to transmittable even with a condom. I've had five partners in the three years since I became sexually active, and condoms were used with every single one, every time. I ended up with two STD's (though luckily nothing too serious). I'm willing to believe that condoms are relatively effective for what they cover and while they're covering it. But there are so many ways to share fluids outside of a condom. My warts are on my vulva and come in contact with the lowest part of my lovers' penises, the area around them (I don't know whether that has a name, but I almost called it the vulva!), and the scrotal area, as well as fingertips (if we don't use gloves, and we usually don't). Of my two primary lovers, the one with which I've had a fluid bond for 4 years doesn't use a dental dam with me, while the other one does. I'd already been involved with the first one for 3 years when I first noticed the warts (the doctor said they were just normal variances in skin texture, as mine aren't very typical), so he figures he's been exposed repeatedly and probably carries it.

[urania.livejournal.com]

OK, now i'm curious about your "normal variances in the skin"... see me be paranoid ;) Sorry if I'm asking for TMI; i'm nosey and I know it, so if I'm pushing just say so :P

I have, around my vulva on the edges of the inner labia, what I think of as "chickenskin"... it's got little bumps that look whitish on the top, but don't come to a head or "pop" like pimples, don't grow, and just stay there. I remember having them long before I was at all sexually active, and I've never had any of the more "large" or "standard" warts; no gyno has ever mentioned these to me as a possible problem. Still, they make me nervous, and I'm (paranoically ;) wondering what your "skin irregularities" looked like... if they were like this, I just may bring it up more pointedly with my doctor next time I see her

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Those sound like little sebaceous bumps to me, though you could ask your doctor. Mine were like little sesame seeds (and in some places, poppy seeds) in the inner labia. The biggest one (sesame seed sized and shaped, maybe a little bigger) was right on the line between the inner and outer labia, and itched. I didn't notice it at first, fully three years ago, and scratched it off, and it bled. I thought it was just an irritated scab that I'd scratched off, so didn't worry about it. A year later, it reappeared and I asked my doctor. She said that it just looked like a skin tag or variation in skin texture, normal, and not to worry about it. (My ex-husband was also told that the bumps at the base of his penis were skin tags, and that's what I believed. I assume I got HPV from him. I haven't talked to him in a few years, so he doesn't know I've been diagnosed with it.) A full year later, I'd developed a few more smaller bumps further in on my inner labia, and I pointed those out to my doctor. At that point, she said, "Okay, it looks like you have atypical HPV."

My bumps are a little softer than most HPV warts, and are exactly the color of the surrounding skin. She still hasn't done any definitive diagnostic tests, though. I'd been seeing her, a GP, for gynecology, but for a number of reasons (probable HPV, a benign hyperkeratosis patch on my inner vulva that I want watched, and because I'm gettin' old) I'm switching back to a gynecologist, and my first appointment with her is on Friday. At that point, I'll ask for a definite diagnosis either way.

Re:

[urania.livejournal.com]

aha.. that makes sense. I can picture what you mean; it's somewhat reassuring that it doesn't match what I've got (I would have been confused because, like I mentioned, it's been there since forever! :)... anyhow, good luck at the doctor's, hope all goes smoothly!

Re:

[wynken.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry- i have an unrelated question- if someone finds out they have HPV do you think they should tell all of their old partners? or would that just be dangous and unnecessary?

[84.livejournal.com]

Don't you think you'd like your SO to know he may be carrying something that might give you cervical cancer? Not telling only breeds more ignorance on the disease.

Re:

[wynken.livejournal.com]

i agree. just wondering what others thought.

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

I didn't bother telling the guy who gave it to me because I realized that he wouldn't change his lifestyle, and because he was an evil person who I didn't want to speak to again. Not evil because he gave it to me, but because of other reasons...
I did tell an old friend I had had sex with afterward. He wasn't pleased, but then chuckled and said, "well, I guess I can't say you never gave me anything." You have to decide for yourself.

Re:

[wynken.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

"The above poster said HPV causes warts. My understanding has been that not all strains of it cause warts however, and in some people even the strains that cause warts won't cause them."

this was my understanding as well.

If you get HPV through oral sex does it get on your throat or something? a comment a while back said something like that. sounds creepy.

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

Genital warts and herpes are contracted through skin contact. A condom won't prevent it anyway. Sucks, huh...