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Question:
Today I went to the gynocoligist for a coloscopy and biopsy, the doctor said that I most likely have HPV. She proceded to explain that this was sexually transmitted and it causes cancer. I feel devestated, dirty and ashamed. i've never been pomiscus. I have had 3 sexual partners 2 of which were husbands. With my other partner I used a condom and that was over 9 years ago, when I was in my early teens. I have 3 children and am mennonite. Now to my question I am afraid to have sex wiht my husband now, I'm afraid he'll get HPV. I want to know how to have him tested and how it could hurt him if he has it? Neither of us have warts so visible signs are not there.
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Answer:
by Georgan Gregg: ()
Being upset is normal & understandable when a doctor tells you that you may have a sexually transmitted disease (STD), which can possibly result in cancer. However, if your doctor is not certain you have HPV (Human papillomavirus), you should be aware that only some types of wart viruses can cause cervical cancer, & finally that HPV is not always sexually transmitted. It’s been found that HPV is in some people prior to sexual activity. HPV is also known as genital warts, acuminate warts, condyloma acuminata, verruca acuminata, or venereal warts. It may also help you to know that it is the most sexually transmitted virus in our country so you don’t have to have many sexual partners to become infected.
Most women learn they have HPV after a Pap smear &/or colposcopy (a procedure that magnifies your cervix with a special microscope called a colposcope during which your doctor can directly view any abnormalities). Your doctor apparently found abnormal cells through the colposcope, removed them & sent them to a lab. The biopsy results (the tests at the lab) will tell you & your doctor the seriousness of the abnormal cell growth called dysplasia. Further treatments may be to simply observe it to see if it resolves itself, repeating Pap tests more frequently, & probably repeating the colposcopy. Or she may recommend that you have the abnormal tissues removed with a freezing technique, cryosurgery. Discuss your options with your doctor, seek a second opinion, or both. You should also know that treatment is aimed at removing these growths, reducing the number of viral particles, & possibly stimulating the immune response to help control the viral infection.
Talk all this over with your husband. The 2 of you may want to use condoms, although they cannot provide 100% protection. HPV is only rarely associated with any type of cancerous lesion in men. In fact, most of the time, men won’t have any symptoms or health risks. If you have genital warts, then there is a good chance that your husband is a carrier. But he may just as easily be immune to the specific HPV type(s) you have. Without symptoms, males are difficult to test for HPV. It’s impossible to prove that a male has HPV unless he has visible genital warts or a positive Digene Hybrid Capture® HPV DNA Test on a penile urethral swab done by a urologist. Even if warts aren’t present & the Digene Test is negative, it does not prove that he does NOT have HPV. As is usually the case in medicine, it’s easier to prove the positive than the negative.
You have made a good start in understanding your situation. In addition to information, emotional support can help immensely. Any questions you or your husband have can be submitted at this website or you can telephone the HPV & Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center's toll-free HPV Hotline at 877-HPV-5868 [2:00 - 7:00 PM Eastern Time, M - F] for information on diagnosis, treatment, prevention, emotional support & referrals. Good luck!Reviewed by: Patricia Fawver Ph.D. in Sexology
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