hpv spreading - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Message Board

jellers · 09-01-2008, 07:50 PM

an old sex partner from six months ago just informed me that she has HPV and had to have precancerous cells removed. i've been with three girls since then. one of the girls told me she had an abnormal pap but tested negative for hpv. the next, who was vaccinated a year ago, came down with an abnormal pap, tested positive for hpv, but had no cancerous cells.

my girlfriend now, who I just recently had sex with and have not told about this HPV scare, just had the 2nd dose of gardasil a month ago. is it likely that she will get the cancerous strain of hpv, or just show an abnormal pap? given that the other two girls are not cancerous, is it likely that this is one of the cancerous strains blocked by gardisil?

i would like to know so i can explain the risks to her when i tell her about all this.

Pickle Eyes · 09-01-2008, 09:12 PM

Gardisil only gives protection against 4 strains of HPV (out of more than 20 that can affect the genitals). Two of those are low risk (that can cause warts) and two are high risk (that can lead to cancer if undetected/untreated).

I believe the 2 strains of low risk HPV cause 75% of genital warts and the 2 strains of high risk HPV cause about 80% of cervical cancer.

I'm confused as to who is who, but I think it is safe to say those ladies need to be talking with their doctors about their known risks (boyfriend who has been with a female who has had precancerous lesions removed).

All of them need to be sure they are keeping regular with their pap smears *forever*. It sounds like they have been exposed to at least one strain of high risk HPV. Some people can clear the virus and others can't. By "clear" I mean fight the virus into suppression. Some researchers say the virus can go away without future problems (but the body maintains a record of the virus). Others say the body can make it go dormant, but it can come back later in life.