Can HPV go away on its own?

Hi everyone....I've been reading all of the postings and am feeling not-so-alone anymore...glad this site is available and so informative.

I'm 28 and just got a call yesterday from my OB about my Pap results from my annual exam last week being "abnormal". I have had an annual exam every 12 months since I was 20 yrs. old (became sexually active), just to stay on top of my health. This is the first time I've ever had an abnormal Pap. I asked her what that meant exactly, but all she could say was that I most likely have HPV. My heart sank because I've always heard that HPV is a very serious STD and a person will always have it no matter what...and the chances of getting cervical cancer is great. The nurse scheduled me to come back in on June 15th for an HPV test....

I will admit that I started out being a "good girl", didn't have sex until I was almost 21 because I wanted to wait...wait for the "right" one. After losing my virginity to someone I dated and loved, but who (I later found out) didn't really care about me and then stopped talking to me about 3 weeks after wards, I felt dirty, used, and disgusted by my decision. When this happened, I think I also lost a lot of self-respect, which lead me to making other very poor future decisions about my sex life. Long story short, I used my college days to party a lot and had multiple sex partners...some I used protection, others, I did not. I'm sure many of you reading this are quick to make judgments about my choices or me as a person, but at least I'm honest. Even the best of people make stupid choices. I consider myself extremely fortunate to not have contracted any other diseases or STDs. Thank God I took the initiative to schedule and go in for my annual OB exams and STD/HIV testing.

I do have a few questions that I can't seem to find answers to...hopefully a doctor or nurse can help answer them:

1. If I end up having HPV, and it eventually goes "dormant", am I still contagious? I have not been in a relationship in several months and am not having sex. Can I infect a future partner if the virus becomes dormant?
2. Can HPV be caught via sitting on a toilet seat that someone with HPV regularly uses?
3. If HPV can be caught through oral sex, and therefore infect your mouth, can you catch the virus by kissing?

Thanks for your time and help!

Pat,

Thanks so much. And yes, I have not yet gotten a pap, but I believe I will be getting one next Tuesday. My boyfriend and I have talked about everything and he feels so bad if he did give me HPV. Like I said earlier, I still do not know if I have HPV or not. I hate this feeling of unknown and being unsure without having any answers to my questions. I really appreciate your help.

Christina

Hi Christina - It's never easy to get this type of diagnosis, and before you know it one question is going to lead to another and then another and so forth. There are a number of good information resources that can help you online, and if you feel the student health service doesn't provide enough support you may want to go to your local Planned Parenthood center and talk with a trained counselor.

Your question only mentions HPV. You haven't indicated whether or not you had a pap test, and since you said this was your first pelvic exam I'm going to guess that you didn't have one. You need to have both the HPV test and the pap test which is used to determine whether or not cervical cancer is present. The Pap test looks for cell changes caused by HPV. The test finds cell changes early -- so the cervix can be treated before the cells turn into cancer. This test can also find cancer in its early stages so it can be treated before it becomes too serious. It is rare to die from cervical cancer if the disease is caught early.

In terms of the genital warts, these need to be treated or removed by your doctor. And you need to be taking precautions to protect yourself. And your boyfriend needs to be aware of the issues he faces too. Please refer to the links below for more information and I'm also going to see if I can get an expert to assist in answering some of your other questions.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hpv-4272.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genitalwarts.html
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex/safer-sex-4263.htm

Thanks for writing and taking this important step to learn more about HPV, cervical cancer risks and taking care of your health.
Pat

Hello,

My name is Christina and I am 19 years old. Four days ago my boyfriend, who is and for a long time will be my 1st and only sexual partner, and I were messing around and he told me that he could feel a small bump about two inches in my vagina. I went ahead and tried to feel it and it was a small soft pea sized lump in the upper right hand corner of my vagina wall. I immediately scheduled an appointment with the woman's clinic with my college. The doctor gave me a pelvic exam (it was my first one, and it was so uncomfortable!) and the first thing she said was "Oh, that looks a lot like HPV." She explained to me what she saw. She said that i looked like a fleshy colored cauliflower bump, and there were a few other warty areas right beside it. I know, gross. But then she re-assured me that it was probably just a growth. However, she set me up an appointment with another doctor, she said because the lump was so big, but then gave me a whole bunch of information about HPV. She was also asking me questions about my current boyfriend, like if he had HPV, and how many partners had he been with. Now my boyfriend has been with quite a few other women, and he thinks he knows who gave it to him. But anyways, the doctor scared the crap out of me with all the HPV talk, and from what I am reading what I have looks a lot like HPV.

So I guess I have a few questions.

1. I can still have sex with my boyfriend because both of our immune systems could possibly fight off the virus over time?

2. My doctor never gave me any answers or told me what I should be doing, so what are the necessary steps I need to take to fix this?

3. Do genital warts mean you will have cervical cancer, or if you have genital warts does that mean you have the non-high risk type of HPV?

4. If it goes dormant, is there still a possibility I could pass it on to my kids?

Thanks

Anon - I'm not clear on whether you're saying that she had an abnormal pap test or if you're saying that she has HPV. The pap test does not test for HPV, it's a separate test. To be sure about her HPV status she needs to take an HPV test.

If you're a woman, you should have the HPV test too. If you're a man, be aware that there's no test for men. Here's a link to information on HPV and men: http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-and-men.htm

Hope that helps! Pat

My 44 year old girlfriend has told me she has HPV from years ago. Had an abnormal pap years ago had treatment and since then everything was fine until this year when an abnormal one came back up. We have had unprotected sex, is it possible for me to get HPV from her now?

Im 16, and today was diagnosed with HPV. I've spent all day in tears, and found it very hard to tell my boyfriend, but i told him, and he was understanding and is getting checked. I've read a lot of these comments, and some have made me feel better.
But to understand better...
1. The HPV stays in your system for the rest of your life, but can be fought off by your immune system, or kept dormant? yes?
2. The warts can keep coming back?

These questions may have been answered, but im still unsure...
1. If i have the HPV virus, and it has become dormant, or i just have the virus and not warts, am i still contagious for the rest of my life?

2. Also, is there a reason my boyfriend nor i have gotten warts around our mouths after oral sex?