Christine---thank you for your excellent information!
Noname123,
Yes, you definitely need to follow-up with your doctor. At first I thought you had a genital wart "cut out", but now I'm wondering if what you were referring to as "cut out" means a biopsy to test for abnormal cells?
HPV is one of those viruses, depending on the strain, that may or may not "go away" on its own. Some strains of HPV can go dormant, as your immune system fights off the infection until it is no longer detectable (think: cold or flu virus). Other strains of HPV do NOT go away and can not be treated by just "cutting it out", as they can lead to long-term complications and disease. It is imperative that you contact your doctor and ask about the recommendation for a LEEP, as they may have found precancerous cells that need to be treated.
If you are having recurring symptoms, you must have these checked out by your doctor. You and your boyfriend could be infecting one-another if you have any active genital warts or "bumps", and you may want to use condoms until you know what strain of HPV you have, and if the bumps are HPV or something else. I disagree with your mom: pimples are not all that common by your genital area, but some women do get bumps from ingrown hairs/razor burn. Can you tell if the bump is near a hair follicle?
Your boyfriend could have HPV, most likely does if you are having unprotected sex as it is HIGHLY infectious from one person to another (in fact, stats show that up to 80% of all sexually active women will have been infected with HPV in their lifetime---that is how common this STD is!). Again--it is important to know which type of HPV strain you have. There are no good STD tests for men unless they are symptomatic (have an active wart, lesion, penile discharge, etc) as there are for women.
Let us know what additional information you need, and please update us on what your doctor says! You can always call the nurse at your doctor's office with specific questions (call during a non-busy time for the office) with a list of your questions and write down the answers. Don't be shy!
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Christine---thank you for your excellent information!
Noname123,
Yes, you definitely need to follow-up with your doctor. At first I thought you had a genital wart "cut out", but now I'm wondering if what you were referring to as "cut out" means a biopsy to test for abnormal cells?
HPV is one of those viruses, depending on the strain, that may or may not "go away" on its own. Some strains of HPV can go dormant, as your immune system fights off the infection until it is no longer detectable (think: cold or flu virus). Other strains of HPV do NOT go away and can not be treated by just "cutting it out", as they can lead to long-term complications and disease. It is imperative that you contact your doctor and ask about the recommendation for a LEEP, as they may have found precancerous cells that need to be treated.
If you are having recurring symptoms, you must have these checked out by your doctor. You and your boyfriend could be infecting one-another if you have any active genital warts or "bumps", and you may want to use condoms until you know what strain of HPV you have, and if the bumps are HPV or something else. I disagree with your mom: pimples are not all that common by your genital area, but some women do get bumps from ingrown hairs/razor burn. Can you tell if the bump is near a hair follicle?
Your boyfriend could have HPV, most likely does if you are having unprotected sex as it is HIGHLY infectious from one person to another (in fact, stats show that up to 80% of all sexually active women will have been infected with HPV in their lifetime---that is how common this STD is!). Again--it is important to know which type of HPV strain you have. There are no good STD tests for men unless they are symptomatic (have an active wart, lesion, penile discharge, etc) as there are for women.
Let us know what additional information you need, and please update us on what your doctor says! You can always call the nurse at your doctor's office with specific questions (call during a non-busy time for the office) with a list of your questions and write down the answers. Don't be shy!
December 3, 2009 - 2:14pmThis Comment
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