Timing of genital warts

[Paranoidandguilty]

I know that HPV is no big concern, but i am worried about my relationship

I was monogamous with my girlfriend for many years, but i had a sexual encounter where i received unprotected oral sex, received a handjob, and had brief unprotected genital-to-genital contact. I was tested and cleared for everything, and i'm trying to move on with life

About 16 days after this, i noticed a small flesh-colored protrusion on the underside of the shaft of my penis near the head. Its located where the skin wrinkles when im flaccid and its sort of difficult to see. When the skin is pulled taut, it is a small protrusion (1-2mm width, protruding less than 1mm). soft and flesh colored, only gets pinkish after i examine it.  I did a lot of self-examination after my encounter and only saw it after 2 weeks so i don't think it was there before

I dont want to tell my gf that i cheated  It wouldnt be fruitful, and i wont do it again. But if i brought warts into our relationship im screwed

1 After exposure, how soon can a wart can show up.  Many of your posts say it takes months, but some of them say that it can take weeks http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Warts/show/977757  ; Is this possibly something NEW?  Or can i confidently assume that both me and my girlfriend were exposed prior to my indiscretion?

2  Is it possible that this has been dormant in me for a decade? Wouldnt i have cleared it from my system?

3  if i had this for 10 years but never had a wart, would my girlfriend still have been exposed?

4 Is genital-to-oral transmission possible/probable?  Should i prevent my gf from perform oral sex?

5 Can you direct me to resources that confirm/discuss that warts can be dormant for a long time or that they take longer than 2 weeks to show up?

6 if i have it treated will it be obvious?  Will there be a scar/blood/increased visibility?

7 if i do the vinegar test and this turns white, how long will it stay white for?  dont want gf to see it if its white

8 Will it grow/spread?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Breif follow-up responses before ending this thread:

1.  Correct.
2.  Still hard to follow but this is a "what if" question which is rarely of any true value.  Yes, you could have caught this from your current partner, if you have been with her for more than 6 months.
3.  Oral HPV infections do occur but they are uncommon - another "what if".  Please try to relax.
4.  An STD Clinic or a dermatologist would be the way to go.  In either situation, given your anxiety, please make sure that they understand that you wish to know what the lesion is, not to be treated "just in case" as this will not ressolve your questions.  

EWH

[Paranoidandguilty]

Dr. Hook -

Thank you for you quick response.  Yes, i am feeling exceptionally guilty about my exposure. I am doing my best to work through the guilt, and I have even tried to recognize some good things that have come of this... After my last post, i tried very hard to let this die and move on - i was doing quite well until i noticed this thing we are now talking about....  

I was hoping for reassurance that--whatever it is--it did not come from my recent indiscretion. Emotional-wise, i cannot pretend that my indiscretion did not happen...   But STD-wise, i would really like to be able to pretend that it did not happen.  Given that i have ruled out every other STD, and given your statement that "this lesion is NOT a wart from your recent mis-step," i am feeling somewhat reassured.  

1) In response to my question of it being dormant for 10 years, you indicated that "It is most unlikely that if this is a wart, it appeared recently."  I assume you mean that if it is a wart, it has probably been around for a while without me noticing?  

Does this mean that HPV could not have been dormant for 9-10 yrs before turning into a wart?

2) Regarding my unclear question #3 -  I was trying to ask if hpv can be transmitted without signs of a wart when it is dormant in a person. - if this has been dormant in me for a number of years, and only recently popped up into a wart (perhaps because of my increased stress/anxiety level over the entire situation?) im assuming that my girlfriend has been exposed years ago?

3) in reference to my oral sex question, i was not insinuating that i could have received a wart from oral sex (i would imagine--if anything--it would have been received by genital contact).  I was trying to ask if my girlfriend could get warts in/around her mouth if she performed oral sex on me

4) I would like to get this checked out so that i can stop worrying about it. What type of physician should i visit to have this looked at?  I would prefer not to talk to my primary care physician about this, as he is a friend of the family.   I assume i should go to a dermatologist? Or would some kind of clinic be preferable?


Thank you for your help.  

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to the Forum.  While you state that you know that HPV is not a big deal, your pseudonym,  your questions tell me otherwise and suggest that you are feeling guilty about your exposure and that you are now both repeatedly examining yourself and searching the internet about STDs.  This is not a good idea, as your reference to an over 3 year old response to a question suggests.  In recent years we have learned that warts do not appear within days or weeks of exposure and, on average, take 6 months to become apparent.  What you describe is most likely something normal or the result of repeated self-examination.  If you wish to get it sorted out, have a knowledgeable clinician take a look (and do not allow them to treat it "just in case" since this will likely just fuel your paranoia.

As for your specific questions:

1 After exposure, how soon can a wart can show up.  Many of your posts say it takes months, but some of them say that it can take weeks http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Warts/show/977757  ;; Is this possibly something NEW?  Or can i confidently assume that both me and my girlfriend were exposed prior to my indiscretion?
Whatever it is, this lesion is NOT a wart from your recent mis-step.  

2  Is it possible that this has been dormant in me for a decade? Wouldnt i have cleared it from my system?
See above,  It is most unlikely that if this is a wart, it appeared recently.

3  if i had this for 10 years but never had a wart, would my girlfriend still have been exposed?
Not sure I understand this question.

4 Is genital-to-oral transmission possible/probable?  Should i prevent my gf from perform oral sex?
No, see above.  Your receipt of oral sex did not cause this and this is not a reason to not have oral sex with your GF.

5 Can you direct me to resources that confirm/discuss that warts can be dormant for a long time or that they take longer than 2 weeks to show up?
See above.  Some dermatologists can do this for you.

6 if i have it treated will it be obvious?  Will there be a scar/blood/increased visibility?
No, it will not be particularly obvious but I think you should find out what this is before it occurs.

7 if i do the vinegar test and this turns white, how long will it stay white for?  dont want gf to see it if its white
The effect of the vinegar test is brief and disappears when the vinegar is washed off however the vinegar test is now appreciated to be a poor test with many false positive results.

8 Will it grow/spread?
Neither you nor I know what it is.  That's the first step.  Growth is unlikely

I hope this helps. EWH