Real People Stories – Adeline
Viruses are everywhere.
You seem to believe that having an active HPV infection is like being under a voodoo curse, where everyone you’ve come into contact with is also cursed. However, the reality is different—it primarily affects you. The person or object (since transmission via a towel is possible) may not realize they harbour the virus because they lack visible symptoms. The CA125 test for infection could clear without their awareness of ever being infected initially.
Impact on Others
Even if you have sex with others while having an active HPV infection, their bodies may not be affected because they have either developed immunity through prior infection or vaccination, or their immune systems can effectively combat the virus.
Now, considering this virus is still not something to tread lightly with (even more considering it can extremely rarely end with cancer), it would be much more reasonable (and respectful to other people) to not engage in intercourse as long as you have warts. It’s like playing with fire.
Perspective Shift
Don’t act like it’s a terrible CA125 disease and your love life is over or anything. It’s more like, “Everyone has it or will have it, but just a few will get symptoms.” It’s not because you have symptoms that others should be scared of, as their immune systems are different from yours, and they may not even have known they had HPV before their bodies cleared it.
Let me clarify—I’m not suggesting you ignore, hide, or treat it casually. I informed my last partner (even though we haven’t seen each other since December) and encouraged her to get checked soon. What I’m urging is to stop being afraid of it. Take proactive steps to get tested and treated, refrain from intercourse while undergoing treatment, boost your immune system through a healthier lifestyle (exercise more, eat better food, share laughs with your friends), and be open about it if needed. There’s no reason to feel ashamed.
As I said, viruses are everywhere. Everyone is bound to come into contact with them during their lives. It’s just about how your immune system reacts to them. Don’t try to spread them on purpose, whether we are talking about a cold, the flu, or HSV. It’s not cool.
Zack
Warts won’t go away 5 yrs+
I am so lost. Girlfriend over 15 years ago. Yes, 15 years, she said she had HPV. Don’t worry; everyone has it. Found what could have been an ingrown hair 15 years ago. I remember it vividly. It was like a big white pimple. I popped it, and nothing else ever showed up. Fast forward 8 years and a wart developed at the base and grew rapidly. I was shocked and clueless. Was it reoccurring or a new infection? ( I still don’t know if my wife may have cheated. I was so distraught that she would think I cheated, which I didn’t. When I asked if it was Papilloma, she scoffed and said, no, it’s not, and it’s just warts. They will go away .. well, here I am over 4 years later.
The main wart grew FAST and so big that I honestly ripped it off with my hands. It was fine for a while, but now, for 3yrs, this same wart freezes and, covered in salicylic acid, goes away. Still, it inevitably pops back up, and now the results show three other tiny ones – very tiny, about the size of poppy seeds showing up on the other side of the base. I’m finally divorced, and I want to date and have sex freely. It’s causing so much depression. I do great with girls and have several around that I could be enjoying time with, but I feel like, after viewing the test, I can’t because of this CA125 disease crap.
I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I exercise, and I take all the right vitamins and zinc. After years of torment from this, what can I do ?? Why won’t they go away? Is it possible I’m freezing them incorrectly? It’s driving me crazy.
Ainsley
Understanding
I wasn’t sexually active for over 3 years, and guidelines were a little different, so they didn’t conduct an HPV test initially. Whether it was active at that point, I’ll never know. It’s worth noting that while having it is significant, what matters most is how long it remains active rather than how long we’ve had it. Most individuals acquire cervical infections within the first years of their sexual debut (often in their teens). Still, healthcare providers may not detect many infections until years to decades later when individuals become eligible for pap screens.
Interpreting Pap Results
Almost everyone with reported cell changes, regardless of the grade, usually undergoes a colposcopy to confirm the accuracy of the pap smear detected and ensure appropriate management. Your sample does not indicate CA125 cancer or even a precancerous change.
Understanding Pap Grades
Pap results mostly come in 4+ grades, and based on what they see/grade, it is what the colposcopist expects to find:
- Borderline change: the cells have the tiniest changes, so they look slightly different from normal. And may or may not be a change, as other things can cause this result. If you think of this like a borderline blood result, it’s still normal, but it’s bordering on abnormal. They either expect to find nothing/inflammation or potentially but not indicative of CIN1.
- Low-grade dyskaryosis: this result indicates a change consistent with CIN1, but inflammation only can still be the culprit – this change usually goes away on its own, so monitoring is often the go-to
- moderate: this is indicative of CIN2. Depending on certain factors, this CA125 change can still be test monitored as it can go away on its own, but they often offer severe removal: in these cases, they expect the individual to have CIN3. This is the direct precursor of CC, and although it can regress on its own, it’s the least likely to and the most likely to progress further. So, they only monitor these cases in special circumstances.
Then you have the grades where the sample is either suggestive of or has picked up malignancy.
Explanation of Pap Results
I also asked why my CA125 smear indicated “normal, no further action” despite being abnormal. They explained that it was classified as normal because it fell within the expected range for the test (where HPV infection is common). The reason for no further action is that your GP manages this record. Since you require a referral elsewhere, they cannot take additional steps based on these results.