ALWAYS wrap it up guys!!!

I shouldnt have to tell most of you this but, ALWAYS wear a condom!! That gal/guy youre having casual sex with or maybe youve been dating for several months may have an STD and not be aware they have it. Take my case for example. I dated a girl for about 5 months. We were having sex after a few weeks of dating. I wore a condom every damn time we had sex until she convinced me (never gonna happen again w/out a screening) she should get on “the shot” and “we’d be fine and not need condoms….besides we’re only seeing each other right?” Well, a few months AFTER we broke up I start to get these bumps on my dick. After some research online….I discover I have genital warts. “But, dude…didnt you know she had them?” NO, they dont always appear on the outside of a woman. In fact, EITHER SEX can carry the HPV (genital wart) virus on/in them and show no signs of infection…IE warts. Now, for the fun part. (Insert sarcasm) Getting rid of the warts is not fun. I had to go see a doctor first. Bringing myself to do so took a couple months of convincing myselft that my own humility was less valuable than my health and the health of any future long term partners. Besides that…if left untreated the warts will not usually go away on their own and only get worse. I had a total of 15 warts when I finally went to be diagnosed and treated. If I’d gone sooner I would have had half that number. As far as treatment…my doctor used Cryosurgery. In other words freezing with nitrogen at around 60 degrees below zero. There was a nice little burning/pinch feeling EVERY time he froze a wart …..not pain…tolerable ..but, still unpleasant. A few days later they start to turn dark…almost black and then start to fall off like scabs. The whole time my dick is mildly sore. In women, treatment is a much more involved process because almost all their “stuff” is inside and left untreated can lead to cancer of the cervix. So, even if you think they look healthy, and it cant happen to you (I did!) wrap it up untill you know for sure.

Yeah, and unfortunately if it’s HPV it does not go away because the warts are gone.

-BH

I think even condoms aren’t completely foolproof when it comes to HPV… you can still get it even if you wear one. I’m not saying “don’t bother wearing one” but caveat emptor!

Thanks, Still, for the important heads-up.

This, an exerpt from a paper delivered at 40th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America:

“Risk Factors for Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection in Men
Several studies have documented the prevalence and risk factors for sexually transmitted HPV infections in women,[11,12] but few data exist in men, partly because techniques for collecting genital specimens for HPV DNA testing have not been standardized. Bethany Weaver, DO, and colleagues,[13] from the University of Washington, Seattle, tested 100 sexually active male undergraduate students for HPV, using saline-moistened swabs and fine-grained emery paper to obtain specimens from the penile shaft, the glans penis, and the scrotum. Urine specimens were also collected.

The mean age of the subjects was 20.8 years, and 98 of the men had sex only with women. HPV was identified at 1 or more sites in 33 men (33%). “

{That’s a very significant percentage, guys.]

“The mean numbers of lifetime sex partners were 10.0 and 4.2 among HPV-positive and HPV-negative men, respectively (P = .008). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, HPV detection was independently associated with number of lifetime sexual partners and frequency of vaginal intercourse, but not statistically associated with age, numbers of sex partners in the preceding 4 and 12 months, smoking, or circumcision status…”

Does this mean that you’ll have the HPV permanently?

Here is some information about HPV.