HPV ? - need advice from professionals w/medical bckgrnd pls.?

Question

My sister who's been married almost 20 yrs - loving & strictly monogamous couple. She's never been w/any other man but he was w/ 1 other woman before her - 3 years before. Earlier this year, her papsmear had no abnormalities but detected HPV (high-risk ones). Of course, she was depressed after that; she thinks it could ruin her health & life. Anyway, she took 2 more tests after & the HPV tests were negative.
We read info from internet, asked her dr, but really did not find the right answers. Here are our ?s:
1) Is that possible that the HPV was dormant for years in her or his body? How could it just appear all of a sudden? The virus will not be passed back & forth between them, right?
2) If her tests came back negative - does that mean she's immune to that type of virus & she's just a carrier? Will it reappear next time, depending on her health? She is healthy - exercises regularly, eating right, & worry-free.
3) If it does reappear, will it be worse? develop into cancer?

We really appreciate those who responded already but we actually need answers for the ?s we asked earlier. Believe me, we already went through alot of websites and her doctor didn't really explain it very well...

Answer 1

Here, I'll answer your questions as best as I can from what I know about the virus. I'm not a medical professional, but I have been living with HPV for over 5 years now. I developed cervical cancer at 17 years old from it, and about 10 months ago I got genital warts from it.

1. Symptoms of HPV can take SEVERAL years to actually show up. The most common symptom of HPV is warts. Since there are over 100 different kinds of HPV though, not everyone has a kind that will cause genital warts. So, this person can go years and years without realizing they have HPV until they develop genital warts, if they even ever develop them. I personally didn't develop genital warts from my HPV until 4 1/2 years after I was diagnosed! So, it can take a LONG time for symptoms to crop up. As for 20 years, I think that is kind of pushing it. That just seems like TOO long. It's definitely possible she has had it this long, but for a pap smear to come back detecting HPV NOW just seems a little weird. The pap smear should have caught it 20 years ago, not now.

2. If she has had one test detect HPV and 2 different ones not detect it, then she might NOT have it. Remember, tests can be wrong. They are not 100%. I've heard and read about people being diagnosed with the wrong thing all the time! It's also possible she got rid of the virus. Most people DO get rid of the virus on their own. There is NO cure for HPV, but many people's bodies actually get rid of the virus all on their own. If she did get rid of it, she can always get it again. And, this time, she might not be able to get rid of it. Some people can't get rid of HPV once they get it, and they have it the rest of their life. Living healthy does help though. It's really good she exercises and eats right, it helps keep her immune system up.

3. If she does contract it again, it can be worse. She might contract a kind that causes warts or even worse cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women (after breast cancer) and kills 4,000 women a year. That is why it is SO important she gets a pap smear done at least once a year, and more if she has had any abnormal pap smears. The last thing she wants is cervical cancer!

I hope I answered your questions. You can email me if you'd like. Take care, and good luck to your sister!

Answer 2

Alli's answer seems to be the most accurate.

Two things I wanted to point out:
There are about 100 different strands of HPV. As long as she and her husband only have one strain, they will not keep passing it back and forth. Once your body has 'beat' one certain strain, it will not matter if you come into contact with that same strain. (Kinda like when you get chicken pox or fifths disease as a kid).

Also, just because she had an abnormal pap does not mean it was caused by HPV. Sometimes tampon use, sex, or just a bacterial infection can cause an abnormal pap. Perhaps she'd been sick or had some kind of infection and because of her weakened immune system she tested positive for the HPV. The fact that she's testing negative shows that her immune system has probably supressed the virus.

Tell your sister not to worry. HPV is very common, almost every sexually active person has had it, has it now, or will have it at some point in their lives. (Even though most won't admit or even know it!) It's very scary at first, but once you get educated (especially from a good doctor) it's really not as scary as it seems. Remind her to keep taking good care of herself and she'll be fine.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

1) Is that possible that the HPV was dormant for years in her or his body? How could it just appear all of a sudden? The virus will not be passed back & forth between them, right?

Difficult to say that virus was dormant for so long. But it is possible. Yes it will be passed between the partners back and forth.

2) If her tests came back negative - does that mean she's immune to that type of virus & she's just a carrier? Will it reappear next time, depending on her health? She is healthy - exercises regularly, eating right, & worry-free.

She is not immunne. She is a carrier of high risk HPV. No body is immune. It may reappear.

3) If it does reappear, will it be worse? develop into cancer?

Her chances of getting cervical cancer are very remote. As she is not showing positive results now. Pl. have no worry.
Ref. http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/ds/stds

Answer 5

I'm pretty sure that one partner has been unfaithful to the other. If her pap smear came back high risk that means she has abnormal changes in her cervical cells and has HPV. I would think the virus could lay dormant for maybe a year or two but not 20!!! She needs to keep going to her doctor about every 3-6 months to keep getting pap smears to access the changes. There is nothing she needs to worry about with cancer because if the cells start changing more they will remove them before they cause any problems. Just make sure she goes back. There is a really good website http://www.medhelp.org
There is an STD forum, with a world reknown expert who answers questions. You could browse the archives or ask him these questions yourself.

Answer 6

1. Any virus, including this one can be dormant for years. Individual responses vary. There is an average, of course, where 90% fall which therefore make the rule, but, again viruses' incubation periods vary. WOMEN CAN ONLY GET HVP AFTER THEY BECOME SEXUALLY ACTIVE.... (And there is now a vaccine for young girls to prevent this virus, but it must be given before the girl becomes sexually active.....) Nuns, for example have very, very little in the way of any HPV. If she has had no other partner than her husband, then she got it from him. If he had only one other partner before her, then he got it from the first partner.
2. Even if her tests come back negative, if they at one time were positive, one of two things occurred:
a. She had a false positive test
b. She never had the virus
c. She still has the virus, the test just didn't catch it this time.
Therefore, if in reality she does have the virus, yes, she is a carrier, and yes, she may again test positive.
3. It is now agreed that cervical cancer in most if not all cases is caused by HPV. BUT if she has a yearly pap smear, even if the cells become abnormal (Now, this means just that, abnormal) it is not cancer. Those abnormal cells can be removed in her doctor's (ObGyn) office (They have a piece of equipment used for this purpose. It isn't pleasant, but tolerable...) She is then tested again in a few months. Cervical cancer is not the killer is used to be, since abnormal cells come first, and can be easily dealt with, long before it becomes malignant. With the yearly pap smear, there is no reason any woman should develop cervical cancer, much less ever die of it. Cervical cancer any more is a disease of poor women, and women in 3rd world countries who never get to have a pap smear. (The virus has been around forever, and the vaccine will not wipe it out... It will just become rarer in wealthy populations of this planet.)

Helpful? Need more? Write me.

Answer 7

HPV can go away on it's own.

Yes, it is possible that it just got recently detected, but then it was an old infection and would not go away suddenly.
the latest advertising for HPV info, helps detect more and more carriers, since the connection with cancer was made more and more people care and doc's test more.

All STD's can go back and forth between two people and both should get tested / treated.

Answer 8

Time and reflection are a good help. I haven't been writing as long as some about 16 years now...but you begin to see growth in your own writing. Early criticism to me seemed harsh but I know can see the benefit of the criticism as my work needed and still needs help. That said, I think like any other skill it takes a while to benefit from criticism and sometimes you can only receive so much at once because technically you just are unable to "see it" yet. So in short you handle criticism by continue to write and considering your progress over a period of years. I don't know if that helps any but like most things it takes the long view. Also as far as your mother-in-law is concerned some people will never "get" your work. It doesn't matter if writing is wise or not though. I don't expect writing to make me any money. I just expect it to be a creative outlet that makes me feel alive--and that is more than enough. Hang in there.

Answer 9

about 90% of women actually have some form of HPV (not all forms cause warts). Most of the time it will clear on it's own, but if not it is important to get checked and have regular pap smears, beacause it can put you at risk for cervical cancer.

Answer 10

Genital Warts:
Genital warts (also known as venereal warts) are caused by a virus, the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Warts are found on or around the penis, anus or vagina.
They are small lumps which have an irregular cauliflower-like surface.
The colour and shape vary depending on their location. Sometimes the warts cause irritation and itching.
Genital warts are a serious health concern as certain types of HPV have been associated with cervical cancer.
However, most women infected with genital warts do not have the strains of HPV that give rise to cervical cancer.
Genital warts often disappear even without treatment. However, there are a range of drug treatments.
Small warts can also be removed by freezing, burning or using laser treatment.
Occasionally, surgery is used to remove larger warts.
Consult your doctor.
Please see the webpages for more details on Genital warts.