Now that there is a vaccine available for men, does this mean that partners who do not have HPV and get the vaccine are safe from infection of GW?

What are the transmission rates of HPV/gw to people who have been vaccinated?

I have not had an outbreak of GW although my last boyfriend had them and it is frustrating because I do not know if I have them or not. I am assuming I do because we had unprotected sex for several months. I have so much turmoil about disclosing, and the bottom line is I do not want to be rejected and have resigned to just being celibate for the rest of my life. I cannot emotionally handle the rejection of this. Please help.

Hi athenalove,

Thanks for your post. There is indeed an HPV vaccine approved for men, Gardasil, which is FDA licensed for use with males ages 9-26. "Off label" use with men older than 26 is not uncommon, so any fellow who has questions can certainly ask his healthcare provider. The vaccine works really well in blocking infections with the two "high risk" HPV types found with most cervical cancers, in addition to the two "low risk" types that cause about 90% of genital warts. In studies with subjects who have no previous HPV infections, almost all new infections with the "big four" types are prevented by the vaccine. There are other types of HPV not covered by the vaccine, of course, so it doesn't guarantee protection from all types of HPV, but is effective against the ones most often found in cervical cell changes and genital warts. Note: women who receive an HPV vaccine still need their Pap tests!

Keep in mind that HPV infection is virtually universal among sexually active people. If you have sex, you probably have/have had/will have HPV. The thing is, most of these infections don't cause symptoms, aren't dangerous, and will clear naturally over time.

Hope this helps, post anytime!

Best,
Fredo

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