doctors, nurses, dermatologists, or personal experience only answer please!?

Question

I have HPV and of course they strain with genital warts. i am being treated by a dermatologist and using Aldera. its hard for me to ask my derm. these questions so i want to ask them here. i got them from someone in jan. 2007 and was seeing somone differnt in may 07 but did not have any visible warts unitl july. Did i give my partner hpv? there was no fluid transfer or does that matter? 2nd, if the warts go away, will i still transmit HPV to others or will my body have suppresed it? and if they do go away will skin to skin contact spread it or by fluids or both or more? i know i will have hpv the rest of my life but my body will suppress it, right? is there any other treatment for the warts besides the Aldera? thanks for any answers!!!!!

Answer 1

That's a lot of questions. I would be able to answer more accurately if I knew your age and a few other factors, but in the absence of that:

It is possible that you transmitted HPV to your partner in May 07 even though you did not present with warts until July.

Fluid transfer is not required to transmit HPV, it is transmitted from direct sexual contact (primarily vaginal and anal, though oral sex is also a risk), other sexual activity with intimate contact (genital rubbing or an activity causing friction), and from mother to child during delivery (rare).

If the warts go away will I still transmit HPV to others or will my body have suppressed it?

The concept that once you have a virus you have it for life is not technically correct and causes much confusion. More than 80% of HPV infections in young women aged 15-19 will clear (be eradicated) spontaneously within 18 months. That is why gynos suggest waiting for that amount of time before treatment is considered. Other viral diseases have a similar pattern with a certain percentage of those infected clear the virus completely, the others go on to be chronically infected (eg. Hep B and Hep C). And there is a treatment for Hep C that seemingly results in a cure for a significant percentage of those who take it)

It is important to note that no treatment/therapy guarantees eradication of HPV (though in most young adults their own immune system will clear/eradicate the virus over time as noted above).
Warts often have a high persistence/recurrence rate, but more than 90% of patients with external genital warts experience complete clearance within 2 years (with or without treatment). HOWEVER, the disappearance of warts does NOT necessarily mean that your HPV has been eradicated.

Imiquimod (Aldara) is one of the best first line treatments. Recurrence rates on Imiquimod/Aldara are lower (10%) than any other therapeutic treatment available. It uses your immune system to help fight the warts. For more aggressive treatment of genital warts (which can cause scarring) there is Cryotherapy which freezes the warts off. But I would stick with Imiquimod unless you become pregnant as it has, over all, a better success rate. (though, to be completely honest, the data here is not perfect as most clinical trials with these treatments have not been uniform and therefore may differ)

So, I encourage you to speak to your gyno openly. S/he is the best person to answer your questions as s/he can factor in your medical and treatment history, as well as your specific strain(s) of HPV. I know it can be hard to do, but I can't think of anything more important than your health, so take a deep breath and ask some questions. I guarantee s/he has heard them before!

Take care

Answer 2

skin to skin contact is all it takes to transfer HPV.
the aldera will indeed help suppress the virus, but you will be a carrier for life, and you will be able to transmit it too. Suppression will simply prevent the appearance of the genital warts etc, it will not cure nor will it prevent transmission.