Hi,

I just got told the other day that I have Genital Warts. I feel extremely upset and angry as I have always been pretty careful and haven't slept around. I know that I must of got them off a guy that I was seeing, we broke up a couple of months ago.

I am really confused about all the information that is out there as there seems to be a lot of different facts/advise. I would be really grateful if someone could answer my questions as the more i look on the internet the more i get upset by the whole situation.

To catch genital warts do you have to of slept with someone who has them present or can they just have the HPV virus?

Does this mean that I now have the HPV virus?

The nurse said that once the warts have gone they will be gone forever, is this true? as a lot of the information i am reading on the internet says that once you get genital warts they can always come back.

I am currently having the freezing treatment, while i'm having this treatment can i still carry on with normal life i.e. doing exercise? and is there any vitamins or anything that i can take to speed up the healing process.

Also I have starting seeing a new guy, we had sex for the first time last week, before I knew that i had genital warts, after getting diagnosed i realized that the warts must of been present when we had sex. I am now in a complete panic that I have given them to him. Will i certainly given them to him? I know that I have to tell him, i'm just finding it really hard to find the courage to do so, will live in different cities so i will have to do it over the phone and i'm terrified, does anyone have any advise on how to tell him without scaring him off and genital warts sounds so terrifying!

I sorry to have so many questions its just i'm so confused and upset i don't know where to turn, i feel that this will ruin my life

thanks

Sorry to hear about your situation. First of all, HPV is so common these days, it's being called the "common cold" of STIs. Basically, almost everyone who is sexually active will catch HPV at some point in their lifetime, about 80%. You didn't do anything wrong, and luckily, the strains of HPV that cause warts are NOT harmful to your health and cannot cause cancer, etc. Everything I'm telling you is based on information from my doctor and my own personal experience...

To catch genital warts do you have to of slept with someone who has them present or can they just have the HPV virus?


If someone has HPV, you can catch it even if they don't have visible warts. The VIRUS is what is contagious, although if someone has visible warts, it is thought to be MORE contagious.

Does this mean that I now have the HPV virus?


Yes, and because you got warts as a result, at least you KNOW you have it. Most people never show symptoms and so they never know they have it! This is one reason it gets passed around so much.

The nurse said that once the warts have gone they will be gone forever, is this true? as a lot of the information i am reading on the internet says that once you get genital warts they can always come back.

Your nurse was wrong to say that they can NEVER come back, no matter what. They might and they might not. When you treat warts and they go away, they CAN come back, usually within three months or so, but as the immune system works to control the virus, there should be fewer and fewer times they return. Also, studies show that 90% of HPV infections are "cleared" by the immune system within two years. The more time that goes by without warts coming back, the less likely it is that they will.

I am currently having the freezing treatment, while i'm having this treatment can i still carry on with normal life i.e. doing exercise? and is there any vitamins or anything that i can take to speed up the healing process.


Freezing warts is probably the best treatment for them. Yes, you SHOULD carry on a normal life - work out, stay healthy, help your immune system fight the virus. Also, I would recommend using Aldara at the site of the warts.

You MIGHT have exposed your new partner to HPV, especially if you didn't use a condom. Keep in mind that the type of HPV that causes warts is essentially harmless. Also, your new partner may already have HPV and not know it, since 50% of men at any given time apparently have some strain of the virus! It's best to be honest with him and let him know that you were not aware at the time that you has been exposed to HPV.

Good luck!

Jreyn