can I still infect my sex partners even with no symptoms for years?

Question

I was diagnosed with genital warts 9 years ago. I haven't had an outbreak for 6 or 7 years. I am worried about how safe it is for men to have sex with me. Can I still spread the virus even though I haven't had any warts for years. I have read a lot of different things, and I am not sure. Is any kind of sex safe? Is kissing even safe? What kind of sexual activities can me and my partner safely participate in? I am not currently active, just wanting to know so me and any possible partners can discuss the situation and risks.

Answer 1

It sounds like you most likely got rid of the virus. Even though there is no "cure" most women are able to get rid of the virus all own their own. Their bodies basically "fight it off".

I am sort of in your same situation. I have had HPV for over 6 years. I have had both cervical cancer and genital warts, but I haven't had an outbreak of warts in almost 2 years, and lately my paps have been coming back completely fine. I personally feel my body has possibly got rid of the virus, but I can never feel 100% about it.

If I were you I would still use a condom and be careful about it. Kissing shouldn't be a problem though, just sex and direct skin to skin contact with the genital area. It sounds like you got rid of it, but you never can be 100% sure. Better safe than sorry! Good luck!

Answer 2

There's a chance you may still be able to spread warts after all these years. The body is sometimes able to get rid of HPV (the virus that causes warts) but sometimes the warts go away but the virus is still in the skin. A gynecologist can do a skin test but even that isn't extremely accurate.

Kissing should be safe: Only the part of your skin that had the warts is able to spread it to others. Other types of sex... well... most of what I've read says condoms aren't very good at protecting against HPV, but it's better than nothing. You can definitely perform oral sex on your partner and he won't have to worry because no part of your infected skin will be touching him. If he performs oral sex on you, he could risk getting it on his face. He could finger you because genital HPV doesn't infect thick skin like you have on your hands... but if he then touches his face or genitals he could catch it.

But...

If a potential partner gets genital warts from you, all that will happen is that he will get warts. Warts are harmless and usually go away on their own. If they don't, you can get them burnt off or frozen off. There is a type of HPV that can cause cervical cancer and penile cancer, but it's not the same type that causes warts.

My advice - Talk to your gynecologist about getting the HPV skin test. If it comes back positive, tell any future partner(s) that you have the virus that causes genital warts but that it's harmless besides causing the warts. If it comes back negative, tell your partner(s) that you used to have warts but your tests have come back negative so they're very likely gone for good.

Thank you for asking this question -- too many people don't educate themselves about HPV/genital warts or don't talk to their partners about them.

Answer 3

Unless you had genital warts on your face, kissing is safe. Sex with a condom is safe. Even without an outbreak, you could have "viral shedding". There's an HPV test available, but it may not help if you've already got antibodies. Ask your doctor. HPV Can spontaneously resolve over time. Ask your doctor about this, too. But condoms are your best bet anyway, since you don't want any new STDs.

Answer 4

The virus is present and active without any physical presentation of warts. You can still infect your partners. Warts can very easily spread through any intimate contact. I think you should inform your partner of the risks of your illness so he or she is fully informed and makes an informed decision to sleep with you. Even with using condoms warts can still be spread because they can be outside of the genital area.

Here's credible site for more information:
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdhpv.htm

Answer 5

No matter how long it's been, there's always going to be a chance that you can infect your partner. As for how likely it is and what you can do to protect against it, ask your doctor.

Answer 6

Yes you still can infect your partners. Someone may never have symptoms of genital warts and they end up infecting their partner.

Answer 7

yes you can still infect your partner without symptoms for years.

Answer 8

Yes, you can still infect your partner. You can kiss someone and not give it to him just by kissing. Having sex, yes you can, even if you have not had sex for years.
http://geosalud.com/VPH/hpvmen.htm
Both men and women can get HPV – and pass it on - without even realizing it.
Genital warts can also be passed on by a person who has HPV but no visible warts. Since the virus can be “silent” for a long time, people can have genital HPV even if years have passed since they have had sex.
Here are some links you can share with your partner:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm
http://womensissues.about.com/od/womenshealth/g/HPV.htm
http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/hpv.html
I have had HPV for about 10 years. I have had bad pap smears for about as long. I have to go to the OBGYN every 4 months. I have had 2 surgeries to laser out the bad cells. I have never had the genital warts. I tended to go the other way and have bad cells toward the cervical cancer. However, my last two papsmears have been actually Normal. I now have a boyfriend and he knows about me and we are not sexually active. I have shared the information from WebMD and anything I can find. It is funny that I have a boyfriend and my papsmears became normal for the first time in ten years. He wants to go and see a "specialist" if we ever decided to get married and go down that road. I believe that God works in mysterious ways. I have had several people praying for me and I am blessed to have been normal for the first time in a long time. I do not have to see my OBGYN now for 6 months. When that one comes back normal, I won't have to see him again for a whole year! He told me on my last visit that 93% of women have HPV. If my a guy has not ever had sex and he does with somone who has HPV he will get it, if he has had sex, he probably already has it. According to him, only 7% of women do not have HPV. For men, there is no test to see if they have it. They can only see by the warts. I have never had the warts, but have had bad pap smears, so I am sure that there are men who have not had the warts but can have it too.

Here is a website that is very informative and I will copy part of it but you can read more about it: http://www.thehpvtest.com/under-30/HPV-facts-HPV-virus-FAQ.html#canyou

After you get HPV, will it go away? Or will you have it forever?
Medical science does not yet have all the answers to life's mysteries, and this is one of them. It is not known whether the body is actually able to get rid of the virus altogether, or - as appears to happen in at least some women – the infection is merely suppressed. The good news is that whichever scenario is true, a negative HPV test means you are risk-free for the next few years. However, that also means that periodic re-testing is needed to make sure that an old HPV infection hasn't "re-activated," or that you haven't been exposed to a new, different type of the virus.
There are more than 100 types of HPV. They usually don't cause any problems. However, when they do, the most frequent result is the common wart, such as those seen on the hands and feet.


About 30 of these HPV types affect the genital area. They are divided into two groups:

"Low-risk" types of HPV
There are about 12 types of HPV that are called "low-risk" because they cannot cause cervical cancer. They can, however, cause genital warts or minor cell changes on the cervix that go away on their own. If you think you have genital warts, talk to your doctor to find out about treatment options.

"High-risk" types of HPV
There are more than a dozen types of "high-risk" HPV that can cause harmful changes in the cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb), which opens into the vagina. These abnormal cell changes, called dysplasia or CIN (the abbreviation for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia), may gradually develop into cervical cancer if not treated.

In most cases, the body's immune system fights off or suppresses the virus before dysplasia or cancer develops. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 70 percent of new HPV infections (including those that are "high risk") go away within one year, and 91 percent are gone within two years. It's only when high-risk types of HPV stay "active" that the risk of developing dysplasia and cervical cancer increases significantly.

Women who have a persistent infection with high-risk HPV are 200-plus times more likely to develop pre-cancerous cervical disease [CIN 3].

Answer 9

i think you can but i am not sure if you really need to know go to your doctor and ask i am sure they can give you an answer better then anyone or if you want to do some research on here i usually check webmd.com and look up stuff

Answer 10

ask ur doctor but i dont think any kind of sex is safe...