Aa
Partner with HPV-18: Disclosure questions
Dear doctors,
I had unprotected sex, once, with a female friend approximately 8 months ago. This friend (who had dated someone after our experience together) recently found out from her ob-gyn that she is positive for HPV-18. She is freaking out about it and, as I have extreme OCD, I am as well.
My understanding of how this works is that HPV in general is very common, including type 18 and the other high-risk types. So my question here is two-fold, both for my friend and for myself:
**Should my friend herself, who just tested positive for HPV-18, be telling future partners of her status? Or is this not advised, considering the facts--that so many people have already gotten it, etc etc?
**Should *I* be telling future partners (or past partners!) that I was with someone nine months ago who may have had HPV-18 at the time? Or telling partners in any case that I "might" be a carrier, since I guess it's plausible that *I* am the one who gave it to my friend (though there's no way of knowing)?
I want to be responsible but also, due to my OCD, don't want to create awful/awkward situations in my love life, and don't want to be unneccesarily freaking any out when it's not needed...Thank you!
I had unprotected sex, once, with a female friend approximately 8 months ago. This friend (who had dated someone after our experience together) recently found out from her ob-gyn that she is positive for HPV-18. She is freaking out about it and, as I have extreme OCD, I am as well.
My understanding of how this works is that HPV in general is very common, including type 18 and the other high-risk types. So my question here is two-fold, both for my friend and for myself:
**Should my friend herself, who just tested positive for HPV-18, be telling future partners of her status? Or is this not advised, considering the facts--that so many people have already gotten it, etc etc?
**Should *I* be telling future partners (or past partners!) that I was with someone nine months ago who may have had HPV-18 at the time? Or telling partners in any case that I "might" be a carrier, since I guess it's plausible that *I* am the one who gave it to my friend (though there's no way of knowing)?
I want to be responsible but also, due to my OCD, don't want to create awful/awkward situations in my love life, and don't want to be unneccesarily freaking any out when it's not needed...Thank you!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
*Sigh*
Almost nobody with HPV can ever know when and from who they acquired the infection and the same applies here. You can assume you are or have been infected with the same HPV strain she has. Who gave it to whom first is irrelevant to my advice. If you had sex with her a couple of months or more before her positive test result, of course you could have been the source. Or she could have been infected for many months or years. None of this changes my opinions or advice about informing future partners.
You really do need to stop obsessing over this. No more comment, no matter what other new thoughts come to mine.
Almost nobody with HPV can ever know when and from who they acquired the infection and the same applies here. You can assume you are or have been infected with the same HPV strain she has. Who gave it to whom first is irrelevant to my advice. If you had sex with her a couple of months or more before her positive test result, of course you could have been the source. Or she could have been infected for many months or years. None of this changes my opinions or advice about informing future partners.
You really do need to stop obsessing over this. No more comment, no matter what other new thoughts come to mine.
Apologies, but this did come up in a last conversation with my friend. I understand that I've overstayed my welcome on this thread, but if you can perhaps comment I would be very grateful...
Basically I'm trying to figure out if *I* could have been the one who gave her HPV 18. Which I'm guessing is a futile mental exercise. Is it possible that she could have contracted HPV 18 a long time ago, and that it's just now 'showing up' via testing? In other words, is the timeframe from exposure to detection (via tests, not just pap smear) quite a wide range?
Basically I'm trying to figure out if *I* could have been the one who gave her HPV 18. Which I'm guessing is a futile mental exercise. Is it possible that she could have contracted HPV 18 a long time ago, and that it's just now 'showing up' via testing? In other words, is the timeframe from exposure to detection (via tests, not just pap smear) quite a wide range?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Yes, you've got it.
That's definitely all for this thread. Time for both of us to move on.
That's definitely all for this thread. Time for both of us to move on.
Thank you!
I'm still SLIGHTLY confused but then I'll let it go (promise) to avoid entering actual OCD territory.
If I'm following this correctly, the only time a man would notice an "active" HPV exposure is when something is visible, as in warts. And since high-risk strains like 18 typically don't cause warts, there's really no way of a man knowing whether or not he has an 'active' HPV strain if it's one of the non-wart causing categories. So basically if someone (a male person) has sex with someone with a confirmed/active case of non-wart causing, high-risk HPV, like 18, that man's obligation ton bring it up in the future is basically nil--not because he doesn't care, but because there's no health-related benefit to doing so, since basically any other sexually active man in the universe has the same chances of carrying a high-risk strain of HPV, too...
That about right?? ;)
I'm still SLIGHTLY confused but then I'll let it go (promise) to avoid entering actual OCD territory.
If I'm following this correctly, the only time a man would notice an "active" HPV exposure is when something is visible, as in warts. And since high-risk strains like 18 typically don't cause warts, there's really no way of a man knowing whether or not he has an 'active' HPV strain if it's one of the non-wart causing categories. So basically if someone (a male person) has sex with someone with a confirmed/active case of non-wart causing, high-risk HPV, like 18, that man's obligation ton bring it up in the future is basically nil--not because he doesn't care, but because there's no health-related benefit to doing so, since basically any other sexually active man in the universe has the same chances of carrying a high-risk strain of HPV, too...
That about right?? ;)
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1) Testing for HPV is increasingly being done at the same time as Pap smears, rather than testing only when the pap is abnormal. Even with high risk types like HPV 18, the large majority of infected persons never develop cancer. Your friend should follow her doctor's advice, but this really isn't something to be especially worried about.
2) Official advice (e.g., from CDC) is that people who are sexually exposed to people with HPV, genital warts, or abnormal paps don't need testing for HPV and need not even seek health care unless they notice something abnormal.
My advice about future partners is regardless of when the exposure occurred.
2) Official advice (e.g., from CDC) is that people who are sexually exposed to people with HPV, genital warts, or abnormal paps don't need testing for HPV and need not even seek health care unless they notice something abnormal.
My advice about future partners is regardless of when the exposure occurred.
Doctor, thank you so much. I've gone over this with my friend:
1.) I'm not quite sure of all of the logistics (and don't want to pry TOO much),but she says that while she tested positive for HPV18, her Pap was "normal." Not sure if this affects anything on her end.
2.) Since I'm a man, and there are no commercial HPV tests for men...I gather that the only time I'd have an 'active' HPV infection I'd be aware of would be one that causes overt genital warts, right?
In general then, as a man--at any time if I were to have sex with someone who then found out they were positive for a particular strain of HPV (without overt warts)...I wouldn't be advised to go telling future partners of this fact, right, even if the potential 'exposure' was recent (as opposed to 8 months, as it is in this case)?
Sorry if I'm being redundant, just want to get it straight. I know this is a common topic on here!
1.) I'm not quite sure of all of the logistics (and don't want to pry TOO much),but she says that while she tested positive for HPV18, her Pap was "normal." Not sure if this affects anything on her end.
2.) Since I'm a man, and there are no commercial HPV tests for men...I gather that the only time I'd have an 'active' HPV infection I'd be aware of would be one that causes overt genital warts, right?
In general then, as a man--at any time if I were to have sex with someone who then found out they were positive for a particular strain of HPV (without overt warts)...I wouldn't be advised to go telling future partners of this fact, right, even if the potential 'exposure' was recent (as opposed to 8 months, as it is in this case)?
Sorry if I'm being redundant, just want to get it straight. I know this is a common topic on here!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No matter.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
Your concerns, and that of your partner, are very common. However, it sounds like she is overreacting to her diagnosis. Congratulations to you for having an apparently analytical, level-headed response to her news -- despite your OCD!
Here is the link to a thread that goes into a lot of detail about genital HPV infections; please read it and show it to your partner:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/HPV-Transmission/show/1522088
1) Should your partner should be telling her partners about her HPV-18 diagnosis? Not necessarily. Most likely she has an abnormal pap smear as well, yes? Many partners would expect to be told. However, once the pap clears up and outward evidence of an active HPV infection is gone, for sure she needn't say anything.
2) Partners of infected partners have absolutely no obligation to say anything, unless they themselves have been diagnosed with an active HPV infection. Doing so will not change their risk of getting it.
The appropriate approach to preventing potentially serious HPV problems is for all sexually active younger persons (under 26) to be vaccinated; for women to have regular pap smears; and for others to keep an eye out for genital lesions (warts etc) and get examined professionally if and when such things shows up. And beyond that to not worry or even give genital HPV another thought.
Let me know if anything remains unclear after your and your partner have read these comments and the other thread. In the meantime, tell your partner not to freak out! With proper care for her pap smear, this will all turn out just fine.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Your concerns, and that of your partner, are very common. However, it sounds like she is overreacting to her diagnosis. Congratulations to you for having an apparently analytical, level-headed response to her news -- despite your OCD!
Here is the link to a thread that goes into a lot of detail about genital HPV infections; please read it and show it to your partner:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/HPV-Transmission/show/1522088
1) Should your partner should be telling her partners about her HPV-18 diagnosis? Not necessarily. Most likely she has an abnormal pap smear as well, yes? Many partners would expect to be told. However, once the pap clears up and outward evidence of an active HPV infection is gone, for sure she needn't say anything.
2) Partners of infected partners have absolutely no obligation to say anything, unless they themselves have been diagnosed with an active HPV infection. Doing so will not change their risk of getting it.
The appropriate approach to preventing potentially serious HPV problems is for all sexually active younger persons (under 26) to be vaccinated; for women to have regular pap smears; and for others to keep an eye out for genital lesions (warts etc) and get examined professionally if and when such things shows up. And beyond that to not worry or even give genital HPV another thought.
Let me know if anything remains unclear after your and your partner have read these comments and the other thread. In the meantime, tell your partner not to freak out! With proper care for her pap smear, this will all turn out just fine.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Actually, although I'm sure this doesn't matter, I'm now recalling that we likely had unprotected sex a total of about 3-4 times within a period of two days.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
