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How long should/can genital warts HPV last?

Hello,
I'm a 19 year old girl who contracted genital warts HPV (great opening line, huh?) Warts appeared mid-January and I got treated for them on and off from February until about late April. I am enrolled in college and so the health center isn't the most helpful place in the world for this kind of thing (or the cheapest). Since I got home about a month ago I have regularly been back on treatments (Aldara Cream). The warts luckily are not painful or big, just itchy sometimes. My boyfriend is very caring and supportive of me, but I can't help but get upset about them every now and then. It has been 6 months and I really haven't seen too much results. Is that too long to have them? and Does anyone know when they go away? I have heard that the hpv virus "clears the body" in 6-18 months, so does that mean I could have physical warts that long? I just would like some solid answers on this so,
1. how long should/could the warts stay (keep in mind im treating them!)
2. Does having sex with/without a condom make it worse?
3. once they are gone, can I take medication to prevent them coming back?

I really, really appreciate any input back.
Thanks so much
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
I agree with almost all of your post, but the fact that HPV is coming back does not indicate reinfection, just a slow immune system response.

The median lenght of time of infection is 8 months, almost everbody will clear the virus within two years.

A comment on aldera vs other treatment options. While other treatment options will remove warts quickly, it does not treat the virus so it is common for the warts to come back. I beleive Aldera boosts your immune system's response. I don't feel that 16 weeks is a particularily long treatment time, as people who have recieved other forms of treatment should wait 6 months to see if they are symptom free before moving on.

Regardless, if one form of treatment does not seem to be working, it is a good idea to try something new. :)
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Avatar universal
it just depends on the type of HPV strain you have. Having sex with your partner with a condom is the safest way but doesnt always protect him because he can still get HPV from skin-to-skin contact. If you are getting treatment for the warts and they are still coming back it is a possibility that you are getting re-infected so you partner should get tested since men usually have little to no syptoms. Really it just depends on your body's defense I found out that i had HPV when i was 16 years old and within 6 months it was completely gone all i did was eat healthy and took vitamins to build up my immune system so that my immune system would naturally fight it off but there are many great treatments out there like Viralfree it is a pill that builds up the immunity it works
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Avatar universal
Honestly, aldara cream does require long treatment.  Sometimes as long as 16 weeks.  Who wants to wait around for that, when it may not even work in the end.  If you want quick results ask your gyno to give you TCA acid.  It burns like a ***** at first but within the week the wart will likely fall off.  Just a thought... if you dont want to wait four months to rid yourself of the problem. No having sex with a condom doesnt hurt anything.  I'm assuming you are doing it to protect him.... but honesly if you two were having sex unprotected he may already have it anyway,  Men usually never have symptoms, that's why it gets passed so freakin much.   And yes your body will eventually either clear you of the virus or it will lay dormate.  But I don't think there is meds to protected agains future outbreaks.
Good luck and I hope it helps
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Avatar universal
Unfortunately, the duration of HPV infections differ from person to person.  However, treatment with Aldara cream typically takes longer.  Have you used any treatments other than Aldara?  If not, it might be time to tell your doctor that the Aldara isn't proving fully effective and you need another treatment (such as TCA acid or cryotherapy).  Different treatments work differently for different people.  I would really ask for another method at this point.

Having sex with a condom shouldn't make this worse at all.  Some women do complain that having sex while warts are present is painful though.

There is no known medication at the time that will prevent wart recurrence.  HPV is something your body has to eventually put in check.  Don't worry, yours will eventually.
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
I have hpv . You need to keep a healthy emune system, long term. Get checked from gynaecologist,  not just smear tested. Be sure your boyfriend is checked as he can re-infect you. Take vitamin b17, 20mg . To avoid long term effects on your body.  It can have long term effects. Be safe.
Hi there..what long term effects can GW have?

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