Can one have genital warts without having HPV? A friend who has a lot of partners said her doc said no.?

Question

The doc is a gynecologist who also said that once a person has the virus and the symptoms disappear, it's impossible to detect whether or not it's still in the body. I'm skeptical, because I also read that 70% of women who have it are able to get rid of it on their immune system's own accord. But I'm worried about my friend who had HPV, because she doesn't use protection. I feel like something is wrong in the logic here, but I don't want to freak her out unnecessarily by bringing up something false.

Answer 1

ALL warts are caused by HPV, whether it's genital warts, warts on the hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc.

Most women CAN get rid of the virus, but it is pretty hard to know for SURE if a woman has been able to get rid of it.

Even if a person is showing no signs or symptoms of the virus, they can STILL have the virus. If a women is having no signs of the virus, then it won't show up on screening (like Pap smears), because the virus is "dormant", or because she possibly got rid of it.

Some women will always have the virus though because there is technically no cure for it. HPV is a virus and there are no cures for viruses.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

Take care!

Answer 2

Your doctor is right: genital HPV infections are so common that it is almost abnormal not to have them. There are at least four common types of genital HPV viruses, two of which tend to cause visible warts (but only in some people - most never know they have the infection). The other two are the ones we worry about medically: they are associated with later developing cervical cancer. The types that can give you visible warts are benign, and usually just a cosmetic problem like warts anywhere else on your body. The types you can't see are the potentially serious ones, which is why all sexually active women should have regular pap smears. Using condoms will definitely reduce the chances of passing on any of the wart viruses (along with a whole host of other STIs), but it's not a sure thing.