I was diagnosed with penile warts 21 years ago when aged 39 (I am now 60). I have had no reoccurences.
Like everyone else: what is the chance of my being contagious even now?
I suspect the answer will be probably not but cannot be 100% sure?
You mentioned that the virus can be got rid of by the immune system in younger people....does that exclude me?
Could I pass on the virus in any way innocently to people in general?
thank you

Hi Richard,

You've likely seen the other posts on here that address this topic, so there's not much for me to add except that regardless of your age, most experts with whom we're familiar would say the risks of transmitting HPV to new partner would likely have diminished significantly if you're talking about a diagnosis of genital warts that occurred many years ago, and for which there has been no signs of new warts in the meantime.

Some would even describe the risks of transmitting an HPV infection from years ago as minimal, but there's no way to prove it or apply a "% chance" statistic to it.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

Just to add to the great info Fredo gave, there isn't any way you could pass this casually (assuming that's what you meant by "innocently") - if you are still infectious - which is unlikely - you would only be infectious from your genital area.

Jess

HPV has become an obsession with me
(I have a history of ocd)
I have read huge amounts on the subject and it is scary(and fascinating)
how much hpv can be found and where
children carry it normally in their mouths for example....
I have so many questions about the subject which alas, burdens me greatly.
people with ocd have a need for 100% certainty and this subject explodes without!
thank you so much for your replies - it is good to know there are others
who are also infected

Fredo:

what exactly do you mean by 'there is no way to prove it?'

might you mean that actually, in the end, I could be 'likely' to pass on the virus?

I had always thought that at worst, I could rest assured that unlikely to no was my position

thank you

No, he meant there is no way to prove a statistic for this, given what we know at this time.

Suppose a partner of yours had a positive HPV test (assuming your partners are females over 30). There is no way to know if it came from you, or a former partner, as there is no HPV test for men.

At least, that's what I am assuming Fredo meant.

Do you see a therapist for the OCD? That will help you far more than this will.

Jess

Richard,

Just to clarify what I meant by not being able to prove if the immune system has cleared/suppressed HPV to a point where it won't be given to a new partner: there is no "test of cure" with HPV, so no "test" that can tell anyone if the virus can be transmitted at present time. That's why everyone is cautious with how they word a response to questions about transmitting the virus to a current partner, but as mentioned in my initial response long-term persistence with HPV is not characteristic.

Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

thanks to both of you for bothering to reply.
yes, have I not seen therapists for ocd! but current thinking is that ocd is 'a medical brain disorder that causes problems in information processing' The condition waxes and wanes. The anxiety & guilt that I might somehow be shedding virus exceeds reality. Now, my partner died a few weeks ago and it is well known that ocd increases at times of stress.
Ocd by its nature feeds on doubt and boy, there is plenty of that in the full hpv story.
Not unusually, my ocd started in childhood and there has always been something for it to attach to!
regards