So, anyone had genital warts?

[Snapperz]

In the course of snooping round my new lover's bathroom, I have found a sachet of 'Aldara' cream and a quick search online shows this is usually a treatment for genital warts...

We have been seeing each other for about a month and have been having unprotected sex lately after discussing having had recent, clear STI tests. I haven't noticed anything untoward but I haven't exactly examined it.

What do I do now...?!

Go and get yourself checked out

When I was a teenager a friend has an ill-advised drunken shag with a very promiscuous bloke. She caught warts from him and was told she would carry the virus for life. This meant she would have to be careful not to infect anyone else. We've lost touch now though, so I'm not sure what impact it had on her relationships.

He should have been honest with you about this, presuming the medication is his. The problem is you'll have to 'fess up to snooping. Presuming it is his stuff you need to check out whether he is indeed infectious and if he is then he deserves to be dumped. Sorry.

The cream could have been from ages ago. also, if he's had a recent 'all clear' for sti's that should put your mind at rest, if doesn't, get yourself checked out ASAP. I'd discuss your worries with him though.

Good luck.

Just had a quick look. Its not just for genital warts...

Aldara (imiquimod) is an immune response modifier. Aldara is used to treat actinic keratosis (a condition caused by too much sun exposure) on the face and scalp.

Aldara (for the skin) is also used to treat a minor form of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma, when surgery would not be an appropriate treatment.

Aldara also treats genital warts that appear on the outside of the body, but this medicine is not a cure for genital warts. Imiquimod may be used in adults and children who are at least 12 years

Can someone be infectious without showing physical symptoms? I have no er, signs, so would a doctor be able to do anything or diagnose anything?

Wikipedia page on genital warts.

It's unlikely you'd catch GW if he didn't have them at the time, but not impossible - I think a blood test can detect if you have the hpv virus ( which is what it is )

So even if he has had them in the past but not now he's still contagious? And they take eight months to show up? This is not good...

You say you've discussed having recent clear STI checks, but have you any proof he isn't lying ?

No proof Wait but then I don't either - the clinic called me.

I'm really confused by the info online. Can they be spread without physical symptoms? NHS says no, Wikipedia says yes?

I have some experience of this in a professional capacity.
80% of sexually active people carry the HPV responsible for GW but only a small minority ever get symptomatic warts. They tend to occur at times of stress when the immune system is low and also during pregnancy. The GW can recur at any time but the longer people go without recurrences the greater the chance of having cleared the virus.
I would think that in this situation a full and frank discussion is required and resuming barrier contraception if in any doubt.
In addition it is vitally important for sexually active women to have regular smear checks as GW transmission can be associated with transmission of other HPV viruses which are associated with cervical cancer.

Thanks Lady, that is reassuring. So you can't catch the actual warts unless they are present on another person? Can't you catch them even when you use condoms?

I haven't mentioned it yet, am sort of dreading it...

Is this still a ditch-able offence, if he had them but doesn't any more...?

You can catch warts from someone who is carrying the virus but appearance of warts is not 100% and tends to occur in susceptible individuals. Condoms will provide some protection (particularly against virus transmission) but if there are warts on areas not covered by the condom, transmission is still possible.
I only have limited experience in this area. By far the best thing to do is to have an honest conversation with him about whether or not he has ever suffered from GW and when he last had to treat them and book in to see either your GP or STD clinic who I'm sure can give you better advice.
At the end of the day it goes back to if you're not sure about his history or exactly what he had and when, then barrier contraception is the best bet.

I have had them, can I help?

Sort you say had them rather than have them, how did you get rid? How did you catch them?

I asked him about the cream and sure enough, he'd been diagnosed with a genital wart, last summer. He used the cream, it didn't go away, then apparently saw another doctor who said it was a skin tag. He was very honest about other stuff. I asked him to get it checked again and he has today... And it is a wart.

What do I do now? I like him, but I also like not having genital warts. Is it too late for me anyway?

Is there anything the STI clinic could do to stop me developing them?