Hello ConcernedAboutHer,
Welcome to our message boards; I'm glad some of our discussions have been helpful.
Read this excerpt from a reply I posted not long ago to a similar question:
Quote:
A great deal remains unknown about transmission patterns among couples and the guidance (including ours) is often inconsistent and confusing, to say the least. Many couples do choose to abstain while warts are present but there are experts who don't think it is likely couples sharing the same HPV type(s) will "ping-pong" the virus back and forth to reinfect each, and we're not aware of any data that indicate this is likely to be an issue. Some studies do suggest that using condoms might help both the virus and associated skin lesions clear a bit more quickly, and sometimes couples feel more comfortable having protected sex.
It may be that you and your [partner] reach a point where you feel that you can have sex without a condom. Warts do recur in some cases, but by no means all. When they do recur, they show varying degrees of persistence. Some people may experience only one episode, while others may experience several. However, most people's immune systems, with time, seem to gain control over HPV, making recurrences less frequent and usually eliminating them eventually. In most cases, HPV will not be a persistent infection, but it can be hard to predict when "natural immunity" fully develops.
As for the lesion detected near your partner's cervix, it isn't clear just how her health care provider is describing it: as a wart (which it very well could be) or a precancerous cell change (which typically involves an HPV type other than those that cause warts)?. Genital warts, even those near the cervix, are not really associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer.
"High risk" HPV types that cause cervical lesions actually do not progress to cancer very often, and cervical cancer is essentially preventable through regular Pap tests and, if needed, treatment. Have her provider sort out her exact diagnosis and the follow up care she needs, if there is any confusion about this.
Not too much re: definitive guidelines on health and lifestyle matters with HPV, other than not smoking. A common sense approach to good health in general is a good idea, such as managing stress, moderate exercise, multivitamin, and the like. You do see references in some of the literature about folic acid (B vitamins, essentially) and beta-carotene being recommended - read more on a previous thread at
http://www.ashastd.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=146.
Re: the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, it is approved for use with females ages 9-26 and is not designed to have "therapeutic" value to treat HPV in those who already have the virus. Still, women who receive Gardasil may still receive protection against the HPV types covered by the vaccine that they don't have. Regular Pap tests are needed even for women who receive the vaccine.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Fredo
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