How long for HPV symptoms to appear?
Question:
Answers:
Some people who are infected with HPV never have symptoms. I was first infected with the virus in 1999 and I had only been with 2 people at that point in my life. The only reason I knew I had HPV was because I came back with an abnormal pap test after a routine OB-GYN appointment.
There are only a few strands of HPV that develop into genital warts. If you are a man, that is the only way to know that you are infected with HPV - there are no tests that men can take to determine whether they have contracted the virus. Men essentially, are hosts to HPV.
Your level of sexual activity or length of time between sexual acts does not factor into the equation. If you have HPV, you have it. After my initial abnormal pap test in 1999, all my other pap tests came back completely normal until 2004. The virus can become dormant if you keep a healthy immune system and don't abuse your body too much (ie: smoking, drugs, alcohol, diet). There is no rhyme or reason to when it might resurface, if ever.
Subsequently, if you introduce more sexual partners into your life it is possible that they too have HPV and therefore, reinfect you with a different strand of the virus - perhaps the one that causes genital warts.
Genital warts, while unsightly and disturbing to ones piece of mind, are not harmful. They can be burned off in a simple out patient procedure. Its not the most pleasant experience, but it gets rid of them and then they're gone!
Lastly, HPV is a virus that is spread through skin to skin contact. Even if you wear condoms it does not protect you against possibly contracting HPV. As scary as that is, its the truth. It is the fastest spreading virus in the US and statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans have it. If you are sleeping with someone that has had more then 10 sexual partners, their chances of having HPV are pretty close to 100%. Since they have no symptoms they have no way of knowing that they have the virus and therefore, cannot act responsibly or notify anyone.
Luckily, there are vaccines that have recently been developed and are awaiting FDA approval for the most threatening strands of HPV. Of course, if you already have the virus it won't do you any good ... but at least the vaccines will curb its being spread so readily.
Other Answers:
HPV never heard of that one
Please see the webpages for more details on Human papilloma virus (Genital warts). The other webpages related to Herpes simplex virus (Genital herpes).
One fifth of all cancers worldwide are caused by a chronic infection, for example human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer and hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer.
Genital herpes cannot be cured. Once infected, the virus stays in the body for the rest of the individual's life. Research suggests that the virus can be transmitted even when there are no symptoms present, so that a sexual partner without obvious genital herpes sores may still transmit the illness. In fact, asymptomatic spread may actually contribute more to the spread of genital herpes than do active sores.
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few years. I have had HPV for over 5 years, and I got genital warts from it about 7 months ago. It took four and 1/2 years to notice any visible symptoms of the virus!
Also, HPV can be spread even if the guy wears a condom. Genital warts caused by HPV can appear all over the genital area, not just the part covered by the condom. If you were to have slept with a guy who had genital warts then you could have possibly got it from that guy.
I was diagnosed with HPV when I was five months pregnant. Itr started with what I thought was a scab. The following month I had a terrible case. I think it depends on the person and their immune system
HPV is transmitted by skin to skin contact so condoms DO NOT prevent it. The warts usually appear a few weeks or even a couple months after exposure. Herpes can also be transmitted despite the presence of a condom. Skin to skin contact involves the contact between her outer labia and your scrotum, upper thighs, and anything not covered by the condom.
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