Check out my Pit thread for more details, but suffice it to say that thanks to the lovely human papillomavirus, I apparently have cervical cancer and will shortly be facing surgery for it.
I’m probably going to be fine, but as HPV is sexually transmitted, this means that a) somebody gave it to me, and given my history and the timing in question, I have a pretty good idea who it was; b) that special somebody is probably blissfully unaware that he ever had HPV; c) the aforementioned somebody may still be a carrier and may give it to somebody else; and d) no matter how I feel about the asshole, lying, cheating sonofabitch who probably put me in this situation, I wouldn’t want any other woman to go through this on his account, so if there’s anything I can do to reduce that chance, I want to do it.
So given my past history, there are probably at least two people I should inform: the one who probably gave it to me, and one to whom I may in turn have passed it along. From what I understand, something like 80% of the sexually active population gets HPV at some point, and most of the time it goes away on its own without creating any further damage. There is probably no sure way for me to know where this came from, but a) are there tests that can detect the presence of HPV in men? And b) if a man finds out he is carrying HPV, what can he do about it? (Or a woman, for that matter, although I certainly think any subsequent partners of the two guys in question might want to keep a more careful than usual eye on their own reproductive systems.)
a) are there tests that can detect the presence of HPV in men?
Yes. You can paint the penis with a vinegar solution, biopsy any areas that turn white, and test for HPV in the biopsy specimens.
b) if a man finds out he is carrying HPV, what can he do about it?
He can have any suspicious areas burnt off (e.g., by laser) but this is a waste of money because he probably has HPV virus in normal-looking skin as well as in suspicious areas.
He can abstain from sex or at least use a condom in an effort to avoid spreading the virus.
HPV is extremely common and not as bad as it may sound at first. In women untreated warts may lead to cancer over the years but normal gynecological exams should detect them and their removal is not a big deal. I think this would be your case and not that you have cancer. Don’t be too alarmed and just make sure you get your regular exams. Trying to find guilty parties is kind of pointless because HPV is extremely common and many people carry it with no symptoms.
**sailor, ** unfortunately a colposcopy/biopsy have already confirmed that it’s cancer. Very early on, and 99% curable, but cancer nonetheless. See my Pit thread for details. Apparently I’m some kind of mutant, or really unlucky, or both, but I have exams religiously and none of them have turned up abnormal until this one. I’m scheduled for laser surgery on the 2oth.
The reason I was asking the question is that I’m debating whom to inform, and how much. I would never, ever want to be in any way responsible for someone else’s misfortune.