If a woman has had Genital Warts (HPV=human papillomavirus) something like 20 years ago, then the warts removed, and has never been any recurrence in the past 20 years, is there a chance of catching something like this from her? Assuming astronomical odds aside?
By the way, LOVEROFWOMEN, you seem to be the closest thing we have to a gynecologist here! Look forward to your response in particular
IMHO, education and knowledge are the best tools to protect oneself against any type of STD. It's important to know how the diseases are communicated and what they look like.... Here are a few links that I have found helpful.
HPV Facts can be found here: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdhpv.htm
Here's what they look like:
http://www.healthac.org/images/warts.html
Herpes Facts can be found here:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/Fact_Sheets/facts_Genital_Herpes.htm
Herpes Pictures:
http://www.herpes-clinic.com/herpes-gallery.html
-- Modified on 5/24/2003 7:22:28 PM
Gynecology is simply one of my avocations. I'm not an MD, I'm a PhD. And I'm not licensed to practice medicine in any juristiction. But, having said that, I do try to keep up with this kind of stuff.
HPV is one of several types of viruses, like varicella (chicken pox), that aren't killed off by the body's immune system, but go dormant instead. It's normal for a healthy immune system to reduce HPV to this point within a few weeks, and keep it there indefinitely.
Unfortunately, when the immune system is compromized, the virus can become active again. This can happen as a result of poor diet, lack of sleep, emotional stress (the most common cause), heavy infection load, or a number of other environmental causes. It's not uncommon for HPV to pop up again after fifteen or twenty years.
As an illustration, varicella continues to reside -- in its dormant state -- along certain prefered nerves. If it leaves its dormancy, it returns as shingles rather than as chicken pox.
There are about 700 strains of HPV, most of which which are simply a nuisnance in men. But, there are several strains that prefer to infect the cervix in women. These infections can lead to cervical cancer, and therefore, need to be addressed.
The classical treatment is removal of the warts from the cervix, either by laser or conventional surgery, or by freezing. There are a number of medical treatments -- various creams and such, which have a range of effectiveness and side effects.
There are two things about HPV that make it a real bitch: First, condoms don't seem to be as effective at stopping HPV as they are the other STDs. And second, the lesions, or warts, can be too small to be seen with the unaided eye.
So, while all women should get a PAP test at least annually, women who are very sexually active -- especially those with lots of partners -- should get a PAP test more like every six months.
I hope this helps.
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 5:11:42 AM
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 5:15:56 AM
You seem to have read up on this topic, so let me ask you the following. Assuming that a woman has HPV, but it is not active (i.e. there are no lesions or bumps of any sort), can a man get the virus from DATY?
Keep in mind the oral mucosa is different from the vaginal, GI, and rectal mucosa. Also, saliva is very inhospitable to the HPV viruses (it's downright toxic to HIV).
So, for an infection to occur, you'd have to have a virus that prefers one type of mucosa to accept a different type -- and it would have to survive exposure to saliva. Finally, in order for the eater to be infected by DATY, the eatee would have to have lesions on her labia or other outer genital structures (but remember, these can be too small to be easily seen).
All in all, there are plenty of other, more likely problems you can worry about.
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 7:10:22 PM
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 7:57:20 PM
Dr. Loverofwomen,
I think the reference was HPV, not HIV by the previous poster. Would your theory change? Could a woman who has had Genital Warts 20 years ago, with no subsequent, visible, recurrence, give the virus to a man, during DATY, short of a statistically, very small chance?
I am eagerly waiting!
When I said, "Also, saliva is very inhospitable to the HPV viruses (it's downright toxic to HIV)." I was making the reference to HIV simply as an aside. I was primarily talking about HPV. But, thanks for bringing up the point. If you asked, there were probably others confused, as well.
To answer your question directly, though...
Outside the statistical outliers, a woman who has been in HPV remission for twenty years, and continues to be in remission, has such a low probability of passing the disease on to a DATY partner, that the probability is effectively zero. [How's THAT for a, "No?"]
Let's try to get a little perspective, too.
About 70% of all sexually active people in the USA are infected by, or carry at least one strain of HPV. Within six months of exposure, a healthy immune system will beat the virus into remission without treatment. In most people -- at least those with normal immune systems -- the virus never reactivates.
Don't forget, condoms aren't as effective against HPV as they are against the other STDs. So, even with safe sex practices in place, if you're among OUR community, you've probably already been exposed.
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 9:48:42 PM
-- Modified on 5/25/2003 9:55:15 PM
Unfortunately it looks like your attempt to purchase VIP membership has failed due to your card being declined. Good news is that we have several other payment options that you could try.
We thank you for your purchase!
Membership should be activated shortly. You'll receive notification!
