Re: Girlfriend has HPV (warts?)
The simple fact is that 2p2 once again has proven to be seriously ignorant of the facts concerning HPV. The sad thing is that many online sources are filled with misinformation, usually because of incompetence but also because there are some things we just aren't sure of. Also, there is a history of truthsmearing that runs in two directions: First, conservative Christians are constantly asserting that HPV is a punishment for the promiscuous and using HPV to promote abstinence. On the other hand, those who know they have HPV and have done some cursory research are constantly trying to minimize the effects that HPV might have on us. They are generally right, HPV is largely insignificant so long as women are screened regularly for cervical cancer, but there are lots of scientific studies that suggest that many different cancers might have HPV as a catalyst. This research is overpromoted by the conservatives and flippantly dismissed by those who know they carry the virus.
I say "those who know" because almost all of us who have had a few sexual partners have a sexually transmitted form of HPV (warts of all kinds are some strain of HPV). Guys never know they have it but HPV is a common cause of abnormal paps in girls.
I don't feel like going into everything but my own bout with one of the benign strains of the virus that causes genital warts and the fact that I am unquestionably a carrier of some more virulent strains have led to many hours of research. I definitely know more than my doctor, who (lol) thinks that genital warts can be prevented by wearing a condom.
If you have specific questions, feel free to ask, but suffice it to say whether you gave them to her or not you have already been exposed to whatever forms of HPV your girlfriend has. Your genitals, mouth, and throat have been affected. What this likely means to you is absolutely nothing, you shouldn't be afraid of anything, and you need to be sensitive to your girlfriend. This can be very shocking at the beginning but really it just isn't a big deal.
Also, HPV is pretty much never good evidence of a cheating partner as it often lies undetected for lengthy periods of time.
-Michael
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