HSV versus HPV

[pandagirl]

Why does HSV (herpes) have such a worse stigma than HPV (genital warts)?

 

Both are incurable STDs. Both can be passed onto others when there are no visual signs, and even if you use condoms. Yet people seem not to be turned off by HPV, but are by HSV.

 

The last guy I told "rejected" me because I have herpes. He even said to me, "Well, if you just had HPV, it'd be different."

 

I don't get it. I can see why the word "herpes" is more "scary," but when it comes down to the actual virus/disease, they're pretty much the same.

 

I have a handful of girlfriend with HPV, and no one they ever dated ever had a problem with it. No one seems to be turned off by it.

[sugarmomma]

I read that HPV clears up by itself after about a year. I would assume that maybe that's the reason. *shrug*

[murah989]

I feel I need to post on this since...well..my previous thread on my love bumps.

 

I blame sex education classes. When I was "informed" of sexual diseases in middle school, it was more or less a scare tactic. lol, I sometimes felt their message was " Abstain from sex or your dick and vagina will implode!!!". They'd show us cases of genital warts where they couldn't even pee straight because the virus was so out of control. We're talking tree stalks here!

 

Although I don't particularly remember the HSV slides, I can at least know that any information was used as a scare tactic.

 

People should be informed correctly about what they're getting into when they date someone with HSV + HPV. I believe at least 60% of the population will catch a STD by the time they're 50. So why don't they teach "living with STD's" instead of this dick implosion movement they got going here?

 

If I dated someone with HSV and I really liked them, I'd do my best to be informed to the best of my ability. I'm not going to lie though, with any STD that is highly contagious, I'd be afraid. But, if they meant something to me, I'd work with them =).

[pandagirl]

I read that HPV clears up by itself after about a year. I would assume that maybe that's the reason. *shrug*

 

Actually, no. It stays in your body forever. When they say it goes away, it means it is inactive. But herpes can be the same way, too.

[pandagirl]

I heard HPV clears up and never comes back for most people. I also heard that most sexually active people have HPV whether formally diagnosed or not.

 

Herpes on the other hand has had an effective campaign which has stigmatized it. I heard not so long ago genital herpes got the same treatment as cold sores.

 

People, please read up on HPV! Is it NOT curable!

[snug.bunny]

Why does HSV (herpes) have such a worse stigma than HPV (genital warts)?

 

Both are incurable STDs. Both can be passed onto others when there are no visual signs, and even if you use condoms. Yet people seem not to be turned off by HPV, but are by HSV.

 

The last guy I told "rejected" me because I have herpes. He even said to me, "Well, if you just had HPV, it'd be different."

 

I don't get it. I can see why the word "herpes" is more "scary," but when it comes down to the actual virus/disease, they're pretty much the same.

 

I have a handful of girlfriend with HPV, and no one they ever dated ever had a problem with it. No one seems to be turned off by it.

 

Doesn't HSV also cause genital warts?

[Ruby Slippers]

Herpes eruptions can be painful, yes? Warts, on the other hand, are generally painless. That might be part of the reason.

[pandagirl]

Herpes eruptions can be painful, yes? Warts, on the other hand, are generally painless. That might be part of the reason.

 

Warts and/or herpes outbreaks vary in severeness. As a person who has HSV, I can say that I have have one breakout in the last three years, and I was able to catch it and take meds before it broke skin, so no -- it is not necessarily painful.

[Scorpio13c]

Warts and/or herpes outbreaks vary in severeness. As a person who has HSV, I can say that I have have one breakout in the last three years, and I was able to catch it and take meds before it broke skin, so no -- it is not necessarily painful.

 

Hey Panda, just curious, do you know who you caught HSV from, were you promiscuous at the time? I ask because I suspect my current girlfriend has HSV & possibly HPV, however she is in denial of it..

[Knittress]

I don't get it either. In fact, I'm going to probably start avoiding these threads because they just make me feel disgusted with humanity. ::sigh:: Sorry some dumb guy made you feel bad...

[Scorpio13c]

I don't get it either. In fact, I'm going to probably start avoiding these threads because they just make me feel disgusted with humanity. ::sigh:: Sorry some dumb guy made you feel bad...

 

Do you have one or the other or both Knittress?

[pandagirl]

Hey Panda, just curious, do you know who you caught HSV from, were you promiscuous at the time? I ask because I suspect my current girlfriend has HSV & possibly HPV, however she is in denial of it..

 

Yeah, I got it when I was 24. Only the second person I'd ever slept with. He just turned out to be a jerk.

[Knittress]

Do you have one or the other or both Knittress?

 

::raised eyebrow:: No. Well, cold sores. But that doesn't 'count' for some reason. That doesn't mean I can't find the whole thing ridiculous and insensitive.

[Scorpio13c]

Yeah, I got it when I was 24. Only the second person I'd ever slept with. He just turned out to be a jerk.

 

Unprotected sex? I know that a condom doesn't provide complete protection, yet I'm just curious.

[Scorpio13c]

::raised eyebrow:: No. Well, cold sores. But that doesn't 'count' for some reason. That doesn't mean I can't find the whole thing ridiculous and insensitive.

 

True enough, but I wonder why your plight?

[Els]

People are generally not very well educated medically. Herpes (as in HSV) has had a lot of hoo-haa about it for longer than HPV has, and it's more 'visible' and 'symptomatic' in a way. However, because those people aren't medically educated, they don't know that HPV is actually more dangerous, being the precursor for several types of cervical cancer. Don't bother about the guy, he's a douche. If he'd even read up on HPV he WOULD care about getting it and passing it on to his future wife.

[yellowhibiscus]

I have done lots of research:

 

HSV is not curable...there are two types of HSV, 1 and 2. HSV 1 usually occurs near the mouth but can spread genitally if sores are present when engaging in oral sex. HSV 2 is occurs primarily in the genital area and this is most often the sexually transmitted kind.

 

HPV is not curable...it can go away on its own though- the immune system can fight it off. Most people have this and do not even know it. Many men can have it and not even have any symptoms as there is no test for men. And HPV does not always mean genital warts...there are many different strains of it and it is just one strain that causes the warts. Other types of it can cause abnormal cells to grow on the cervix. But this is what pap smears are for!! Most often you catch it in time with the pap smear, remove the cells and after a few months you are okay...cervical cancer is actually very rare because of this test!

[CandyGirlXO]

I have HPV and I agree people don't consider it as big of an issue as Herpes. The reason could be because HPV has so many strands and most of them actually never cause warts.

 

Pandagirl is right. There is no cure for HPV but my HPV has ONLY caused abnormal cells. Males DO NOT get affected by this at all.

 

Males on the other hand CAN get herpes.

[CandyGirlXO]

I was also going to add that herpes isn't the end of the world PANDAGIRL!! It is very common. No worries.

[Els]

 

Pandagirl is right. There is no cure for HPV but my HPV has ONLY caused abnormal cells. Males DO NOT get affected by this at all.

 

Males on the other hand CAN get herpes.

 

The thing is that, despite barely getting 'affected' by it, males definitely CAN carry HPV and pass it on to their spouse (barring using condoms their whole life), which increases their spouse's risk of getting cervical cancer, which is NOT always detectable in time by pap smear.

 

So any male who actually cares about a (future) spouse, will care about having it.

[zengirl]

Why does HSV (herpes) have such a worse stigma than HPV (genital warts)?

 

I think genital warts carries a similar stigma. It is the reason why diseases that come with rashes or skin issues that are either painful or visibly different would carry a higher stigma than other diseases. It's unfair, but common even in non-sexual diseases.

 

Most strains of HPV don't carry genital warts, and there are a gazillion different strains (the most dangerous of which don't carry genital warts). HPV is just more complex in general. And it does clear up on its own, with some strains. I've been told this by doctors and it's on major health websites. It completely depends on the strain. The low-risk ones (the wart-producing ones) are much less likely to go away on their own. It's a virus, so you'll always have the anti-virals for it and so I guess a "record" of sorts remains.

 

Also, HPV doesn't impact men, unless it's the wart-producing strains. So, I guess it's just human nature. People still don't think of cervical cancer as being caused by STDs.

[pandagirl]

Not being affected by HPV is much like not knowing you have HSV. 90% of people who are infected with HSV don't even know they have it, because the virus can lie dormant for years or forever without any physical signs.

[Arasae]

FYI--If you have EVER been sexually active and weren't a virgin with another virgin, newsflash: you have probably been exposed to HPV. According to my doctor, somewhere around 90% of people will have some form of it by the time they hit 50.

 

Here is more information from Columbia University: http://www.goaskalice.com/2895.html

 

Most HPV doesn't cause genital warts or cancer. It's often asymptomatic.. so.. maybe that's why it's less scary than HSV, which causes horribly painful lesions, yes?

[Star Gazer]

Most strains of HPV don't carry genital warts, and there are a gazillion different strains (the most dangerous of which don't carry genital warts). HPV is just more complex in general. And it does clear up on its own, with some strains. I've been told this by doctors and it's on major health websites. It completely depends on the strain. The low-risk ones (the wart-producing ones) are much less likely to go away on their own.

 

This is true. HSV doesn't go away, ever. It may remain inactive in your system, but it's always, always there. Certain strains of HPV, on the other hand, do go away.

 

High-risk HPV strains (the NON-wart kind, which are more numerous and more common than the wart kind) while not curable, do go away on their own, the same way a viral cold does. And those strains don't necessarily leave antibodies behind. So, many women can contract HPV, have high-risk HPV infection and have it clear up on its own, and never know that they even had it unless they happened to have a pap smear at the exact time the virus was active and their pap had abnormal cervical cells show up.

[Els]

FYI--If you have EVER been sexually active and weren't a virgin with another virgin, newsflash: you have probably been exposed to HPV. According to my doctor, somewhere around 90% of people will have some form of it by the time they hit 50.

 

Here is more information from Columbia University: http://www.goaskalice.com/2895.html

 

Most HPV doesn't cause genital warts or cancer. It's often asymptomatic.. so.. maybe that's why it's less scary than HSV, which causes horribly painful lesions, yes?

 

It's pretty sad indeed that 90% of people are dumb enough to have condomless sex with other people who've had condomless sex with other people who've had condomless sex. Definitely there are some cases of mistakes (young and uneducated, or people cheating, etc), but the majority of it is just caused by dumb ignorance.

 

HPV increases your risk of cervical cancer by a significant %. Saying 'HPV is okay because most of it doesn't cause cancer' is like saying crossing a road blindfolded is okay because most of the time the cars will see you in time to avoid you.