Error on my part for using “much difference” in my original phrasing.
My GYN has told me that HPV can be spread during sex if the virus is outside the area of the condom. Doing a simple Google search (HPV and Condoms) brings up many reputable hits on the controversy regarding the effectiveness of condoms in preventing transmission of HPV from one partner to another. Some sites (like a Mayo Clinic study) state that the transmission is less than 30% when condoms are properly used–however, that’s when condoms are properly used, and they don’t break.
I’m not saying that condoms never protect against the transmission of HPV, but I don’t feel comfortable knowing that there’s a 30% chance that I can transmit HPV to a partner who may not already be infected. That’s my own personal decision and point of view…or rather, in my own humble opinion.
Funny you should ask this… my ex had a psycho ex who accused him of giving her genital warts. She told him that her GYN found them and told her that it was my ex who was the source, based on the timeline of when they slept together (even though she’d been with people before and since breaking up with him).
Much freaking out ensued. I got checked out immediately, came up negative, and told my GYN the story. She laughed at the idea that anyone who had multiple partners could ever pinpoint who gave her HPV. In fact, she said she had a patient who had been a widow for over a decade with no sexual partners since her husband died who was diagnosed with HPV. Weird. So yeah, you can come up with this virus after many years of no symptoms.
The PS to this is, the psycho ex, upon being confronted with this info, admitted that she didn’t have HPV and was just saying it to screw with my ex. Nice, nice girl.
I was diagnosed with HPV about 3 1/2 years ago. During a pap smear, some abnormal cells were found, so I had three colposcopies, 6 months apart. After the first one the doctor recommended having the abnormal cells removed, with laser I believe. I said no, as long as they’re not cancerous, let’s wait and see if they’re still there in 6 months. After the second one, the number of abnormal cells was no greater and no less, so I again declined the laser procedure. After the third colposcopy I was told that the cells had completely disappeared.
I was 33-34 at the time and I knew I wanted to be a mom someday, and I was terrified of scarring or weakening my cervix. I gave birth last October, at the age of 35, to a beautiful healthy baby girl. I am so glad that (a) I was assertive enough to deny the laser procedure they were trying to talk me into, and (b) that I had a doctor who listened and understood and explained the pros and cons to me.