STIs

[catwalker]

I hope people don't think I'm barmy asking this but something on the other infidelity thread made me wonder...

If your dh had had unprotected sex with another woman once (I know it only takes once) 18 months or so ago, would you want him to get himself checked out at a clinic? The ow has been married for about 20 years, though of course I've no idea what she or her husband get up to in their spare time.

Am I being paranoid, OTT or sensible? Neither of us has any symptoms but my imagination is working overtime, and then some.

Not bad at all Happy.
What's CIN?

CIN - is the cancerous changes that are picked up on the smear. To have CIN you have to have been exposed at some point to HPV.
As someone said early - Being exposed to HPV (and there are a lot of strains) does not lead to CIN and CIN does not lead to cervical cancer. however untreated CIN can lead to cervical cancer.

Its a bit unclear how long HPV stays in the body as most people will 'fight' it and never know they have carried it.

Stress can cause HPV to cause cervical changes and CIN.

basically cell changes, CIN 1 is mild changes where you would probably get called back for another smear is six months. It goes up to 3 and 2 and 3 you would generally get treated for. If you are having regular smears you would be unlucky for it to get to beyond stage 3. No doctor would agree that testing for HPV is a good idea. I know in America its probably different as they are covered for all kinds of things with their insurance. Im also in the area and have been treated stage 3 bastard. and its really worth keeping on top of your smears. In most cases they are sexually related, I even remember the nurses saying to me "bloody men" and, I dont think that was because she knew me either!!! It doesnt have to be intercourse and it would be naive to think thats all people get up to!!! Like I said, I would go to a clinic and have a smear in afew months time. Its free and the clinics are bloody wonderful, if you ask me!

Ps agree with the stress not helping matters, not sure if it could cause it in the beginning though but certainly after

My DH has just finished (I think/hope) an affair with a work colleague. Both of us will be going to the STI clinic as soon as we can get there. He has agreed to it although he was reluctant. There is no question, it is better to get checked out.

Thanks Happy. With your medical knowledge, what's your opinion on the question I asked the nurse on doing my last smear. I had told her about Ex's affair and that it had been going on 3 years, I didn't know. I asked if it was coincidence that I had my first abnormal smear about 2 years ago. I was suggesting that I had 'caught' something from ex and OW. I have had no other partner but my ex for over 20 years, so would HPV only have an effect after such a long time, if I had contracted HPV from a previous partner. She didn't express an opinion, I suppose it would be unprofessional to do so.

Like I said, some people dont make the connection. Party time, Im sure the nurse said bloody men because she knew I was in the business!! I dont suppose it would be in her favour to say yes your husbands an arsehole!! think of the comeback! Im glad you have got it sorted. I can not stress how important it is to go for smears whether people have been fooling around or not. Its one thing I will get on my soapbox about. I get very stressed when I find out friends have let them slip!

Very interesting that people are discussing HPV on this thread. I've wondered for a long time why people don't seem to worry about HPV from unprotected sex.

My ex's previous girlfriend had abnormal cell changes and I was always worried that he could be carrying HPV (believe it would be carried in the sperm?)but he had absolutely no idea that he could be a carrier or it might be something he should think about. I've wondered too about Jade Goody's famous male partners, there was all that publicity around her and discussion about the hpv cervical cancer connection yet I've never seen any discussion that her partners might be carriers.

Sorry catwalker to hijack your thread. I suppose if your partner is tested and clear you don't really need to but can you be sure that your really trust him?

I think it was me that brought it up on the other thread re someones husband going to prostitutes. Condoms do not stop it. Its on the skin. Its the first thing I think about when I hear these stories, I dont even think about herpes and others nasty things because they show themselves. Hpv can go undetected at least until your next smear. Also remember, alot of times it does go before you even get to your smear. Its so important to be aware.

I dont think any nurse or Dr (unless you knew them really well) would tell you that your partner had given you HPV and it had lead to CIN it could just open up a whole can of worms. It would then mean having to tell them and possibly other infected people.... and the HPV itself is not a major problem. Safe sex is much better message.
But it is pretty much close sexual contact although does not have to be full sex.

The HPV vaccine offered to girls now should give some protection against a couple of the known strains of the virus that lead to cervical changes.

Smear tests are the best way to keep a check and if you want one but dont want to say its because your h has been playing away and you are not due one then tell your gp you have had some spot bleeding and you should be offered one. At the same time ask to be tested for clamidyia - which again usually gives no problems but could do if you want to concieve in the future.

In some ways i am lucky as i now have smears 6 monthly and will always have a close eye kept on me.

Happy woman, I was told ( and I've read the same from various sources btw), by a doctor, that the virus can be transmitted in a non-sexual way, via non - physical contact but by direct contact with the live virus.
Why else would a dozen men be advised to have a check-up when they had shared close quarters with an infected man? I remember the letter he brought home, it said that anyone with a pregnant wife shoud avoid unprotected sex until they were cleared , I also remember DH being mortified that he had to go and get his bits out for a female Dr - he made me go with him. A bit OTT if it can't be caught any other way than intimate physical contact?

Mal...I don't believe that story, tbh

I reckon the bosses were aware of some shenanigans going on and sent a round-robin letter

Like, you know when every kid in the school class gets a letter sent home saying that you should check for headlice ?

Please do get checked. My XDH and I both got checked for STI's after he had an affair.

Both came back fine but then a few months later I developed genital warts. As I had only slept with him and until the affair him with me, they must have come from the OW. However he never had symptoms and neither did she apparently.

They were both carriers (him catching it off her) and I was unlucky enough to actually end up with the buggers. It's taken over a year to get rid of them and not the most pleasant thing to have. And of course I still have the virus in my system and may have flare ups.

Incidentally XDH insists that my GP is wrong and they are not GW as he doesn't have any and hasn't bothered to tell his new partner that he is a carrier because he says he isn't!

Sorry mal but as far as am aware it has to be pretty close non-sexual contact.

Probably a few of the men were caught out and so a letter was sent to all without implicating anything sexual. The forces would be over-run with irrate wives and girlfriends if they always told the 'whole truth'
Just like the nit letter - we all know who it is but who dare tell that mother it is their child???
Sorry Mal - but it really does happen.
And its not just the men - the number of woman who dont want their partners to see their health records either is pretty high.

Mal I was told by a doctor that i may not have got it through sex either - but he soon backed down when i told what i used to do as my job! .

Virgins just dont get hpv - or cervical cancer EVER!!

Sorry to hijack but HAPPYWOMAN could you give me you opinion please?

I have recently been diagnosed CIN1 with HPV changes. I have been faithful to my DH since we met 6yrs ago. Is it possible to have had the virus longer than that? All previous smears were clear.

Thanks.

Then it's very dangerous that several websites, netdoctor included, have the information that genital warts can be caught from something like an infected towel!

With regards DH, it was over 20 years ago and what with the aids hysteria at the time, maybe that was part of it.
I can understand if the squadron had been on a jolly to Hamburg etc. with the likelyhood that several of the men could have been to the same prostitute (vom) but this was after a training excercise in the middle of nowhere - perhaps they thought if any of the blokes were infected they had induldged in some man-love , at that time being gay in the military was not an option.

Lovingmynewlife - according to all the cancer websites, cancerhelp, Mcmillan etc. the strains of hpv that cause visible genital warts aren't any of the high risk cancer causing ones.

They do also say that because the rate of infection is so high - 8 out of 10 adults carry at least one form of the HPV at some time in their life - that non-sexual transmission is a definite possiblity - if it's so highy contagious that makes sense.

There is research that shows the virus can live under fingernails and on surfaces btw HW.

get tested - although there is no point in worrying about Herpes or Warts unless you have outwards symptoms (which you would notice) - Chlamydia OTOH would not necessarily be manifest, and can be tested for.

i meant that the test for thsoe viruses can be done when you have symptoms - smears you may want to have anyway of course...

This is taken from the Royal college of nursing -
"Transmission of HPV infection occurs
through skin-to-skin contact; in the case of
genital HPVs this transition takes place as a
result of sexual activities.
Some low risk HPV types, such as genital warts have however been found where an individual has not had a sexual experience."

Looks like there is a huge distinction between the fairly benign wart-causing HPVs and the much more sinister and hard to detect high risk HPV strains.

Can I suggest that people go to the offical NHS Cervical Screening Programme website and read the offical guidance on HPV and its transmittion.
HPV can be dormant for years, so you could have caught some time before hand.

Happywoman "Smear tests are the best way to keep a check and if you want one but dont want to say its because your h has been playing away and you are not due one then tell your gp you have had some spot bleeding and you should be offered one. "
Actually a GP should not be offering you a smear test if you saw you've had spotting or PCB etc as it's not an appropriate test for symptoms like those. GU clinics can offer a range of testing and counselling.
HPV can take many years to cause CIN (cervical intraepithelia neoplasia) which is why you can have a screening programme. Even if you've had HPV it doesn't mean you will develop CIN or cancer.

HPV has different families - like a tree with many groups of branches. There are low and high risk types. The low risk ones tend to be associated with visible warts,which can be fingers, verrucas or genital.
There are also other branches which are associated with the development of CIN and cervical cancer. The main types are 16 and 18.
NHS HPV immunisation website

Interview with Bosch whose group proved the link between HPV and cervical cancer.
The review paper: (Bosch FX, et al., "The causal relation between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer," Journal of Clinical Pathology 55: 244-65, 2002) is a very interesting read.