WomanSavers.com Forum / WOMEN'S HEALTH AND SEX ISSUES / Does someone know this?

New around this forum, so I‘m reading this and that, here and there!

First of all, I would love to know how the tests turned out? I‘m sure we all would love to know how you‘re doing, no matter what the outcome has been...we‘re here for you right!

I don‘t have any std‘s or sexually transmitted diseases, but I have a couple friends who have believed for many years that they have a type of HPV that causes genital warts, and also have herpes. Now it‘s never been clear to me if they know this for sure. They are a couple, he says he breaks out once in a while with the warts and that he doesn‘t have herpes outbreaks. She on the other hand, had her warts taken care of when she first had them and once the treatments were done they said she was clear of the actual warts but that she would likely be just a carrier of HPV, but she does believe that she has reoccuring herpes outbreaks.

His family doctor apparantly specializes in STD‘s and made some statements to him that I found to be wonderfully soothing advice for anyone dealing with these issues. So I shall pass this on.

Doctor says to him, "would you be embarrased to have a cold sore(herpes) on your lip? Either way, wouldn‘t you rather have it in a hidden place, a place where only you and your partner have to see it and only those you choose to tell about it know about it? Same thing with the warts, people get them all the time on their feet and hands and have to deal with other people seeing it."

It‘s so stereotypical of the average person to be grossed out by these type of diseases, yet it‘s everywhere. Some people have outbreaks of both HPV genital warts and Herpes and others don‘t. Some people are able to overcome the HPV virus without ever knowing they have it. Men...will never know they are carriers unless its one of the types to cause warts, and woman can have any type of HPV lie dormant for years before tests discover it. HPV is becoming a norm, sad, but true. Herpes is everywhere and many people walk around with it on their lips where everyone can see, and although many people don‘t get it on their genitals, there are those unfortunate few who do get it from either an infected partner or from a partner who goes down on them and carries the virus on their mouth. What does a person do?

Both of theses virus‘s are transmittable even when using a condom and neither have guaranteed cures. We really need to stop feeding the stereotypes out there and start understanding that no matter who we sleep with or what their sexual behaviours are....any one of us can get either of these diseases at any time no matter what precautions we take. We could be carriers and not even know even though we have been tested in the past. We can be with the same partner for many years, and not know that HPV has been lying dormant for years and all of a sudden comes out of no where....how would we feel if our partner rejected us, criticized us and shunned us for that.

Think about it....this is not HIV...it‘s HPV and Herpes. Some HPV can be cancer causing once active, however, as long as us woman take the precautionary measures necessary to deal with cellular changes, there are medications out there to help before it turns into cancer. Herpes is merely a pain in the ass and an eyesore...but it‘s not going to kill anyone.

Now if any of the information I‘ve passed on here is inaccurate or just completely wrong, please feel free to correct me. I‘m going based on my understanding, what has been told to me by that couple and what I have researched.  But I hope that people are able to look at these diseases with less disgust in the people that have them. Not all infected persons get it because they sleep with trash!