Can genital warts be dormant for over 10 years?

Question

My friend has been with her husband for over 10 years and wanted me to pose this question to you all.

Can genital warts be dormant for over 10 years, her husband stopped wanting to be with her sexually, and when they did have sex, 6 weeks ago, he insisted on keeping his boxers on. When she asked why he is wearing his boxers he said he was embarrassed of his scrotum. She asked to let her see and he refuses. She said they never had this problem before.

She made an appointment with her Doctor to get a full checkup and has asked her husband several times to get blood work and a physical. He keeps putting it off and putting it off.

Answer 1

Yes they can be dormant for that long.
In fact, you can have the virus and never have warts develop at all.

If he's had this virus all along and he and his wife have been having unprotected sex for all this time, then it doesn't make much sense for them to start using condoms now. As long as they are sexually faithful to each other, then nothing new can be introduced to them and they'll only have what they've already got.
She's already been exposed if he's had this virus for 10 years. Just because she may not have symptoms, does not mean that she does not have it.

She should be having regular pap smears to check that it isn't interfering with her cervix and causing any dangerous cervical abnormalities.

Whether they use condoms or not, this has been and always will be required of her.
A woman is always required to have regular pap smears to check for cervical abnormalities, whether she's had sex once, or one hundred times.

If she's had any abnormal pap smears in the past, it's quite likely that they are attributed to HPV. You'll find that many doctors don't tell their patients this fact. If she hasn't had any abnormal pap smears in the past, this does not mean that she doesn't already have HPV genitally, it could mean that any HPV that she does have is sitting there doing nothing.

There are over 100 strains of HPV. The infect us anywhere we have epithelium skin. This includes all of our external skin and some of our internal organs. 28 strains of those 100 favour the genitals.

Answer 2

Yes, genital warts can remain dormant for 10 years. Only about 1% of people carrying HPV strains that cause warts will ever develop warts. Typically, HPV can incubate for up to 3 years, so if he acquired this virus yeeeeeeeeeears ago, had warts, and had the warts removed, it is possible for it to flare up now.

So if you are hinting he may be cheating, you need stronger evidence. Not saying he's an angel, though. Where there's smoke, there's fire!

Anyway, bloodwork won't show HPV. There's no clinical test for HPV for men. If he has warts, that's the only way you'll know.

What I'd recommend for your friend is that she always use a condom with him (in case he does have warts, and in case he really is cheating). And then I'd recommend a whole lot of marital counseling. Seems the problems in that marriage are far more than skin deep.