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HPV treatments
I have been diagnosed with HPV (genital warts almost 8 months ago. My doctor told me its not a big deal and that eventually my body will ride itself or put the virus dormant. I have read so many different views on this I just want to know if this will ever go away? I have tried freezing off the warts...didnt work, and now I have begun a laser treatment which two of them have been removed but the large one doesnt seem to be responding to the treatments. Does the laser treatments always work? and if that fails whats the best alternative to this treatment as its was said to be the best.
thanks for the help!!
It IS confusing.
A lot of people say that viruses are all permanent. I don't know what they mean by that.
I guess that some remnants of a virus may remain after an infection, but almost all viral infections are handled by your immune system so that you know longer display symptoms or are contagious. This is certainly the case with rhinoviruses, influenza, and the thousands of other viruses we are exposed to on a daily basis.
You would never expect somebody to tell you to watch out for a reoccurrence of a cold you had last year, or that all your previous colds are still contagious, yet laypeople people give this advice when talking about HPV. They seem to believe that because HIV and Herpes are viruses, HPV must behave the same way.
I do not think this way.
There evidence to show that symptoms of HPV do go away, never to return again. Sexual health experts notice that HPV infections in the distant past do not infect current partners. Yet there are many exceptions to this generalization. Although some experts attribute "reoccurrences" to new infections, many believe that reoccurrences of the same infection do happen, at least sometimes, and few would rule out the possibility.
So all we can do is make estimates. We can be pretty sure that most people will "clear" the virus within 2 years, and many people take a fraction of that time. It is thought that once you are wart free for a period of time, 6 months seems to be a good measuring unit, you are probably in the clear. At this point there is a very low chance of infecting somebody else. Although the risk isn't zero, it wouldn't be risk free for somebody who hasn’t been diagnosed with genital warts either, as many cases are asymptomatic.
I don’t know any specifics about laser treatment, but you should remember that several treatment options are available and if the one you are using is ineffective, perhaps another method would be a better choice.
A lot of people say that viruses are all permanent. I don't know what they mean by that.
I guess that some remnants of a virus may remain after an infection, but almost all viral infections are handled by your immune system so that you know longer display symptoms or are contagious. This is certainly the case with rhinoviruses, influenza, and the thousands of other viruses we are exposed to on a daily basis.
You would never expect somebody to tell you to watch out for a reoccurrence of a cold you had last year, or that all your previous colds are still contagious, yet laypeople people give this advice when talking about HPV. They seem to believe that because HIV and Herpes are viruses, HPV must behave the same way.
I do not think this way.
There evidence to show that symptoms of HPV do go away, never to return again. Sexual health experts notice that HPV infections in the distant past do not infect current partners. Yet there are many exceptions to this generalization. Although some experts attribute "reoccurrences" to new infections, many believe that reoccurrences of the same infection do happen, at least sometimes, and few would rule out the possibility.
So all we can do is make estimates. We can be pretty sure that most people will "clear" the virus within 2 years, and many people take a fraction of that time. It is thought that once you are wart free for a period of time, 6 months seems to be a good measuring unit, you are probably in the clear. At this point there is a very low chance of infecting somebody else. Although the risk isn't zero, it wouldn't be risk free for somebody who hasn’t been diagnosed with genital warts either, as many cases are asymptomatic.
I don’t know any specifics about laser treatment, but you should remember that several treatment options are available and if the one you are using is ineffective, perhaps another method would be a better choice.
You are reading content posted in the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
