If a person contracted genital warts at some point in their life, does that mean they have it for LIFE?
April 24, 2009 by admin
Say a person contracted the HPV Genital Warts from a partner, could it be a year or two before that peroson shows symptoms? If you get warts once, and they go away, does that mean you have the virus for life? And the warts could appear at any time? thanks for all your help!!!
Not necessarily. But you will need to be careful to be checked regularly for HPV and its complications (cervical dysplasia, for example) going forward. Of course, it is also best to use barrier-method contraception (condoms) to keep from transmitting HPV. There are different types ("strains) of this virus–so you can be infected (again) by a different type through unprotected sex. Although young women moreso than men get symptoms and complications from HPV, much more men test positive for HPV carriage even though they may not have symptoms. Also, men who have sex with men have particularly high carriage. So it is important for men as well as women to be aware of HPVand to be screened for it and treated if they are found to carry the virus.