I have high risk HPV. I'm not sure what stains because my doctor of course said they don't bother testing for that because there are too many different kinds. Anyhow I've been with my boyfriend the whole time and we were having sex without condoms before I found out I has HPV. One doctor told me if we continued to have sex without condoms they I was going to continue to develop more types of HVP because we are passing the virus back and forth. Does anyone know if this is true? I have read that this is not how it works but its hard to question a doctor without feeling like a fool. From what I understand, we would be passing the virus back and forth but we would not be producing new strains in the process. Any help on the subject would be great.
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HPV and Condoms
- By bbthistle
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 4:39 pm · 8 replies
- In HPV/cervical cancer vaccine prevention strategies
- Shared with the public
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- By n1c0le
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 8:25 pm
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From what I have read and what my doctors have told me, once you both of that strain of HPV, you have it. You wont be passing it back and forth because it doesn't go away. Once you've got it, you've got it. There's no way to create other strains by having sex - that's just silly! :D!
- By flowershoplady
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 9:21 pm
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your doctor telling you that you and your partner would create more strains is referring to science fiction! :) no, definitely can't create more strains.
and, the reason that condoms are helpful is because it helps to limit your viral load and thus helps your body in the process of clearing the active hpv infection.
hpv is a virus....it doesn't get passed back and forth like a bacterial infection where one person may be treated with antibiotics and cured of the infection and then gets reinfected with continual exposure from someone else who is not treated and still has the bacteria.
- By ErinB248
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 7:32 am
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Flowershoplady is right on! You cannot create new strains. The strain you guys have, is the one you have. They don't mutate into new strains. The only way to get a different strain is by having a new partner with a different strain.
You don't pass it back and forth, so no worries there. The other thing is that there is potential for the virus to spontaneously clear on its own as well. In fact, the majority of the time, it does go away. But it is important to have follow-up testing and be re-checked for HPV so you know if you still have it, because it can lead to further problems if it sticks around.
Hope this helps :)
- By Andy_mph
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 10:18 am
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Maybe your doctor was referring to the fact that you could get other strains of hpv (but only if your boyfriend picks up another one somewhere.) If you two are monogamous then, you should not have to worry. I didn't know that using condoms can affect viral load though. I wonder if I should use a condom with my husband. Will it help my body get rid of the virus faster?
- By corellin
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 10:49 am
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ErinB248 -- It's not exactly true, that once you have a strain, you can't pass it back and forth. It's true that you don't pass it back and forth the way that a bacterial infection is passed back and forth indefinitely -- like flowershoplady said -- but, until you have developed immunity to the virus (and we dont' know when that happens), you are vulnerable to getting more of the same virus (in new places). HPV is a skin disease that infects the basal cell layer. You might initially get infected at the vulva or vagina, but it can spread to the cervix and to the anus. Research hasn't documented much spread or transmission orally, but it's thought that oral HPV is mainly acquired through oral sex. You can spread it yourself (through scratching, wiping from front to back, inserting a tampon) or you can receive additional exposure from an infected partner. Unike a bacterial infection, which could be transmitted back and forth indefinitely, HPV is a viral infection and runs its course. Like you said, about 80-90% of infections clear up on their own (and may be permanently cleared, or may remain dormant/suppressed in the basal cell layer where they may later reactivate -- researchers don't know whether clearance is permanent or not -- maybe it is for some infections but not all, or maybe for no one). So it's somewhat self-limiting and unlikely that people will pass it back and forth forever. And it's common for partners to clear it at different rates. So there's some thought that use of condoms might limit transmission between couples during this time where they're both infected with the same type and struggling to clear/develop immunity to the virus.
- By kalalor
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 9:13 pm
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It really amazes me each time I read something like this (aka what doctors said, what people read, what other peoples' doctors have said) just how many unknowns there really are. There are CONCEPTS and IDEAS...but it's so frustrating. Sorry, it's my rant week....but I'm glad that there are ways to try to reduce the spread. Just an FYI since we're sharing...my doctor said much of what ErinB said. However, correlin...you amaze me with your wealth of knowledge! Definitely something to consider! Thanks for all the posts lady! I just wonder when and if we will ever have a definitive answer regarding the manner.
Kristi
- By kalalor
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 9:13 pm
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It really amazes me each time I read something like this (aka what doctors said, what people read, what other peoples' doctors have said) just how many unknowns there really are. There are CONCEPTS and IDEAS...but it's so frustrating. Sorry, it's my rant week....but I'm glad that there are ways to try to reduce the spread. Just an FYI since we're sharing...my doctor said much of what ErinB said. However, correlin...you amaze me with your wealth of knowledge! Definitely something to consider! Thanks for all the posts lady! I just wonder when and if we will ever have a definitive answer regarding the manner.
Kristi
- By Andy_mph
- Posted October 27, 2009 at 8:53 am
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@ corellin - Your knowledge is very helpful. I have been wondering about contracting hpv orally. Before I read your comment I was thinking that I probably had it and that I could potentially be passing it on to my 5 year old daughter (because she drinks after me all the time.) I really hope that it can only be transmitted via oral sex.
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