M dating F.
Dealing with “recalcitrant” hpv, this means that my body is taking longer to clear the virus than most people. Coming up on 2.5 years. I am vaccinated (just got the third shot) but had to pay out of pocket because I am past the age cutoff.
If you’re about to ask if I have tried ____ treatment yes, I probably have. The next treatment that I’m going to try is called candida antigen injection and basically nobody has heard of it.
I think it’s almost gone though.
So if I had a visible wart today, then it’s gone in like 2 weeks, at what point do I have to stop telling potential partners that I had an outbreak? What’s the ethical obligation here? HPV is incredibly common and yet because there’s no blood test for it for men most people think they haven’t had it. Or they just didn’t notice it because it can be pretty stealthy. Or they were asymptomatic.
I plan to get a note from my doctor that says that there is no visible sign of HPV. But since there’s no blood test there’s no way for me to actually know if the virus is still in my system. On the other hand the virus is endemic so just about everybody could have it at any time. The CDC says that 80% of adults have been exposed to this virus at some point.
My doctor says if there are no symptoms for 2 months I can consider it to be cleared.
Condoms lower the risk but do not eliminate it.
4 comments
I’m confused all you have to do is just tell them. There’s no magical way to tell the truth. And that person deserves to have the consent to proceed or not proceed physically.
Im of the camp that you disclose – always. I understand that its incredibly common in sexually active individuals – especially if you’re over the vaccine age range (which in the US is 45) but the other person should be given the option to make an informed decision. I feel this even more so in regards to the strains of HPV that cause warts or are linked to higher incidents of cancer.
If someone decides they do not want to risk it (no matter how low risk you may perceive that it is) it’s their decision. Withholding information because you know that providing it may not get you your desired outcome is deceptive. If your doctor says after two months without symptoms you’re clear – I’d probably wait 4-6 months to stop mentioning it and tell partners your docs take up until then.
And though HPV usually clears on its own its still not something to fuck around with if you can avoid it. HPV is the #1 cause of cervical cancer and a UK study shows the vaccine has almost entirely eliminated instances of cancer in girls and women who received it since 1995. So talking MORE about HPV not less is my preference.
If you’re reading this (regardless of gender) go get your HPV vaccines!
You have to tell them no matter what. There is no magical time window that clears you from having to disclose this. Think about everything you described having to do because of this condition. If you pass this to someone else, they will be burdened by this too.
You cannot assume that you no longer have HPV. You should tell future sexual partners and if HPV is as prevalent as you believe it is, you should not have trouble finding someone who has the same condition and therefore is not concerned. It would be very cruel to not disclose this and potentially infect someone new.
I do not think it would be ethical to get a doctor’s note that says there is no visible sign of HPV because that could be used to trick someone into believing that means that you are clear of HPV. Not having a visible sign of HPV does not mean you no longer have the virus. I’m not sure why a doctor would even agree to write something like that.