{"id":242494,"date":"2010-01-28T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2010-01-28T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/collegecandy.com\/?p=52415"},"modified":"2010-01-28T14:00:09","modified_gmt":"2010-01-28T19:00:09","slug":"the-doc-is-in-i-have-hpv-what-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/242494","title":{"rendered":"The Doc Is In: I Have HPV. What Now?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Got a health question? Don\u2019t trust those \u201cDoctors\u201d at the University Health Center? Are you scared of Web M.D. because it always tells you you\u2019re gonna die? Ask a real doctor, like our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin. She\u2019s here every Thursday to answer whatever you throw at her \u2013 like post-sex soreness<\/a><\/a> <\/em>\u2013 so ask away. Leave your question in the comments or <\/em> send it over to us<\/a>.<\/em> Don\u2019t be shy; she\u2019s waiting for ya!<\/em><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I found out that I have HPV. So, having sex with my boyfriend, does that mean he has HPV too? And if either of us perform oral sex \u2013 can the warts then be transferred to our mouths? Will this lead to cancer? On the paper I got back from the doctor it said to come back in 12 months for another pap smear; will it get worse by then? I’m nervous.<\/p>\n

A: <\/strong>HPV can be a sneaky bastard. Unlike sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea and chlamydia, HPV can hang around, unexpressed and asymptomatic, then suddenly rear its ugly head with little warning. Chances are that your partner also has HPV. In fact, chances are good that your boyfriend gave it to you. But it\u2019s possible you could have contracted it from a prior partner and that he doesn\u2019t have it. No way to know for certain, so the best strategy is to behave as if he doesn\u2019t have it, just to protect him.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear to me whether you have warts already or whether your HPV just came up on a pap smear. If it\u2019s just a pap smear, chances are good that you carry the type of HPV that causes abnormal paps and cervical cancer, but not genital warts. The good news about this for your partner is that these strains of HPV tend to cause nothing in guys (which is why guys are passing it around like candy. They don\u2019t even know they have it).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do have warts, you\u2019ll want to be a bit more careful.\u00a0 While condoms can help reduce the chance of transmitting warts, they can\u2019t protect you completely. Because the condom only covers the shaft of the penis, it leaves vulnerable scrotal skin in contact with potentially infections coochie skin, so it\u2019s important for him to realize that he may still wind up with warts.<\/p>\n

As for oral sex, yes, laryngeal warts (warts in the larynx) have been reported. But they\u2019re very rare. HPV tends to prefer the genitals and the anal area, so oral sex is relatively safe. If you want to be uber careful, you can use a dental dam to protect your boyfriend when he\u2019s going down on you, and if you\u2019re worried, have him wear a condom. (I know, it\u2019s not sexy, but it is safe).<\/p>\n

If your doc told you to wait a year to repeat your pap smear, I would wait a year. While abnormalities on paps can get worse, they change very slowly, and as long as you don\u2019t miss a pap, you should be fine. Most of all, though, don\u2019t worry. HPV is more of a nuisance than a life-threatening disease, as long as you listen to what your doctor recommends. I know it can be scary and embarrassing, but I commend you for trying to get the information straight. Take a deep breath. Now, let go of any anger, frustration, or shame you feel around this. And let it go. Stressing about HPV only makes it worse. You\u2019ll be fine, sweetie.<\/p>\n

For more about HPV, visit my website Owning Pink <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Dr. Lissa Rankin\u2019s book, What\u2019s Up Down There? Questions You\u2019d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em> will be published by St. Martin\u2019s Press in Fall 2010. She invites you to join her Pink online community (www.owningpink.com\/forum<\/a>) or read more of her writing at Owning Pink (www.owningpink.com<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

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Got a health question? Don\u2019t trust those \u201cDoctors\u201d at the University Health Center? Are you scared of Web M.D. because it always tells you you\u2019re gonna die? Ask a real doctor, like our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin. She\u2019s here every Thursday to answer whatever you throw at her \u2013 like post-sex soreness \u2013 so ask […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242494\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}