“When I contracted genital warts, I was at a lower point in my life. I was very promiscuous and was definitely not practicing safe sex. I just did not worry about sexually transmitted diseases. I thought that since I was on the pill, I did not need to.

“When I got the letter from Planned Parenthood telling me that my pap smear had turned out abnormally and I would need to come in and get checked for the warts, I was stunned. I did not tell anyone for a while because I was ashamed and just did not want anyone to know.”

So starts the story of Marie, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy. Marie, who is a sophomore, contracted genital warts at the age of 17. She does not know who she got the disease from.

“That was the worst part of it I think, not even knowing who I got it from. It made me feel very dirty to know that not only did I have this STD, but I did not even know who I got it from.”

What Marie was not realizing at the time was that she was not alone in her struggle with genital warts. According to Planned Parenthood, up to one out of every ten Americans have what are known as genital HPV infections. HPV, or human papilloma virus, is the virus that causes genital warts as well as many other sexually transmitted diseases.

In order for her to go to the doctor and have it treated Marie had to tell her mother about it.

“My mom really surprised me though. Instead of being incredibly mad she was just disappointed. It was when I told her about my problem that she told me I wasn’t the first of her daughters to go through this.”

As it turned out, Marie’s sister had also been infected with genital warts. “That actually turned out to be good for me because I had someone to talk to about the disease and share my fears with over the operation,” Marie said.

Marie did eventually get the treatment that she needed to contain the warts. Contain? Yes, there is no real cure that will get rid of genital warts and HPV. While the problem can be treated and appear to be gone, it is actually a recurring disease that lives in one’s body forever.

“That one was a little hard to explain to my boyfriend,” Marie said.

Boyfriend? Yes, during the period that she was finding out about her STD, Marie was also just starting to get away from her promiscuous past and was starting a new relationship. She found out about the STD when she was already a month into this new relationship.

“We had already had unprotected sex when I found out about the warts. When I did find out that I was infected, I did not tell Tom (whose name has been changed for privacy) for a long time because I really liked him and didn’t want to lose him.”

When Marie did tell Tom, she lied about her disease. Instead of telling him the warts were recurring and she would be a carrier for them the rest of her life, Marie told him it was a one-time thing.

“At first Tom told me that it did not matter that I had the STD because he really liked me and wanted our relationship to work out,” Marie said. “But, he still brings it up occasionally when he wants to make me feel guilty about something. I know that even though he has forgiven me, he will never forget that I put him at risk.”

Scary side effects

One of the scariest side effects of genital warts is that the virus increases a woman’s chances of getting cervical cancer.

Jenna, whose name has also been changed to protect her privacy, received a letter from Planned Parenthood one year ago informing her that she had cervical cancer and HPV.

“When I got that letter, I just freaked out. I cried for an entire day. Here I am, this 19-year-old girl who has just gotten engaged and I have cancer.”

Jenna made an appointment with a gynecologist, and he affirmed that while she only had the HPV virus, not the warts, she did have cervical cancer. “My doctor asked me who I was sleeping with, and I told him I had only been with two guys — that this couldn’t be true,” Jenna said.

When Jenna told her fianc‚ he “freaked out” and denied that he could have possibly given it to her. However, the severity of the situation eventually hit him, and after breaking down in tears he went to get tested.

“He came up negative, but because HPV cannot be detected in guys if they don’t have the warts, we still don’t know which of the two guys I got it from,” Jenna said.

Jenna had surgery to remove the cancerous portion of her cervix and is doing well today. “While there is always a chance that the cancer could come back, I try not to dwell on it. I am getting married this month, there are much nicer things in my life to concentrate on,” Jenna said.

HPV questions and answers

People with HPV do not always know that they have it because sometimes there are no symptoms of infection from HPV. According to Planned Parenthood, there are more than 60 kinds of HPV. Some can cause warts on various other parts of the body, not only the genitals. Plantar warts, common hand warts, juvenile warts, and butcher’s warts can also be indicators of HPV.

Genital HPVs can spread whether warts are present or not. They usually are spread by vaginal, anal and oral intercourse. Because genital HPV infections are often unseen, they can be passed by sex partners who do not even know that they are infected.

Who is most likely to get HPV infections? People who do not use condoms, have infected partners, or are involved sexually with a number of different partners are most at risk. The majority of those now seeking treatment for genital warts and HPV are young women between the ages of 15-29.

To avoid contracting HPV at all, insist on using a latex condom.

Important Points About STDs

According to a brochure issued by the lowa Department of Public Health, most of us will have an infection in our sex organs some time during our lives. While not all these infections come from a sex partner, they can all be passed on to a sex partner.

The Department of Public Health also stresses that many of these infections look the same, but each disease needs its own test and treatment. The brochure also points out that it is possible to have more than one STD at a time.

Many men and women can not see or feel the early symptoms when they first become infected with an STD. But, they can still pass it on to their sex partner. This is why if you are sexually active you should not only be safe, but also get tested with each new partner. You can not become immune to STDs and if they are ignored they will only get worse as time goes on.