I was first diagnosed with genital warts in August 2005. I had them for about 8 months and during those months I continually was trying to treat them. They just kept coming back. They finally cleared and I was fine for a month or so and then they came back for another month or two. After that I cleared them for about 7 months. Now they are back again. I have read that hpv will clear in about a year to two years. I've also read that outbreaks will happen less frequently and eventually the body will eliminate them altogether. Do you think this will ever happen to me? This virus is devastating to me and my boyfriend. I try to stay positive but these recurrances just keep bringing me down. Is this something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life like herpes? Will it just keep going away and coming back? Please let me know that there is hope. I need something to hope for.

Hi IzzyBelle and thanks for joining our message boards.

Sorry to learn of how difficult this has been for you. Recurrences are not uncommon with genital warts and while the immune system is usually able to control them at some point, the time this takes can vary greatly from case to case.

The time frame mentioned in your email in which you're experiencing recurrences is not so long as to be greatly unusual. You might want to ask your health care provider if, in addition to whatever treatment they're giving you, there is anything they recommend you do. For example, not smoking is huge in helping your system suppress HPV. Other suggestions sometimes include general good health practices like managing stress, eating right, getting enough rest, maybe taking a multivitamin. None of these are therapies for HPV or genital warts directly, but may help in giving your immune system a boost in dealing with the virus.

Partners who share HPV and remain sexually active are not thought to be likely to reinfect one another and cause more warts to develop. Some research has suggested (not proven) that couples that use condoms are able to clear both HPV and associated skin lesions a bit more quickly, so this might also be something to consider.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Fredo

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