ask: HPv and your partner

Hi Kim

Great question!

Yes, it is very possible. Some strains of HPV affect the "outside" area in terms of genital warts. Others affect the "inside" in terms of changing the cells of the cervix. These changes can cause cervical cancer. While the strains of HPV may be different, it is still HPV and is highly contagious, whether "inside" or "outside".

Have you been diagnosed? You can still go ahead and get pregnant (always discuss this with your doctor first) but if you have an outbreak at labor, you may have to have a c-section, although it's not always the case.

If you have genital warts and they are treated, the warts are gone but you still have the virus. So you are not "cured". Most women find that the virus leaves on it's own accord but all women need to be checked every 6 months and then annually for the first few years after a diagnosis.

You can get pap tests and also the HPV test which is an accurate way to let you know if you still carry the virus. If this diagnosis was recent, the chances are that you still have it in your system.

I think I have answered with your meaning in mind but I may be wrong. Can you tell me what you mean by having it on the "outside" versus the inside?

Here is some more info for you from Empowher's encyclopedia :

http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/genital-warts

YES! YES! YES!...any exchange of body fluids can carry the virus during intercourse, regardless of the location. You need to be honest with him and let him know that having sex with you exposes him to the possibility of acquiring the virus. It is your moral obligation to warn him!