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Can genital warts go undetected for years?
HPV can lay dormant for many years after a person contracts the virus, even if symptoms never occur. Most cases of HPV clear within 1 to 2 years as the immune system fights off and eliminates the virus from the body.
How likely is it to get genital warts from HPV?
Latent HPV is transmissible, and if an individual has unprotected sex with an infected partner, there is a 70\% chance they will become infected. In individuals with a prior HPV infection, the appearance of new warts may be either from a new exposure or a recurrence.
What can be mistaken for genital warts?
Genital warts can be mistaken for harmless things like moles, skin tags, or penile pearly papules (small bumps found around the edge of the head of the penis and also the entrance of the vagina). These things aren’t infections. They’re just normal parts of you.
Can you have bumps that aren’t genital warts?
So you don’t have to worry about anyone else finding out. Genital warts can be mistaken for harmless things like moles, skin tags, or penile pearly papules (small bumps found around the edge of the head of the penis and also the entrance of the vagina). These things aren’t infections.
Should I be embarrassed if I have genital warts?
“It’s such a common infection yet there’s still a stigma attached to it and you do start questioning things. “I was in a long-term relationship with a person that I didn’t really trust at that time. “But you can have HPV for years and not know it. “It is a really easy thing to get, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed.”
Are genital warts a big deal?
Having treated many people with genital warts over my career, I find many consider them a big deal, especially if they struggle with recurrent warts. The Gardasil vaccine protects a person from seven of the most high-risk types of HPV (including 16 and 18) as well as the two types that cause most genital warts.