Q.

A.

Thank you for visiting our web site. Our hearts are going out to you and your husband. Yes. The HPV virus could remain dormant for 10 years – even longer. According to Dr. Elizabeth Pryor, MD, FACOG: "The most common dormant disease I see in my practice is human papilloma virus (HPV)."  Additionally, according to the Cancer Research UK: "The HPV virus can be latent. That means that it can be present but not active. It is possible for someone to have been infected at some point in the past and for the virus to be asleep or dormant. HPV can lie dormant and be undetected for many years before it becomes active. It may not cause any symptoms and you might not even know that you have it. Only certain strains cause genital warts and the other strains can be present but go completely unnoticed. Most HPV infections disappear without treatment, as the body's immune system fights the infection." To quote another doctor (Alice Chang, M.D. from Harvard Medical School): "The way HPV hides in our cells is to insert itself into our DNA. It can lie dormant for years and then become active much later on. On the other hand, your body may clear the infection after just a few years."

Additional Information

HPV cannot be prevented by the use of a condom, as the virus can survive in outer or dead skin cells for a short time before being transmitted. Unlike other STDs transmitted only through bodily fluids, HPV is transmitted through skin-to-skin genital contact.

“Faithfulness”

We read your statement: "The faithfulness issue is in question." Please also understand that unless you were a virgin when you married your husband (absolutely no sexual activity) you could have unknowingly been the carrier and transmitted this virus to your husband during your marriage. We obviously don't know anything about you – but we wanted to share all the facts with you – any sexual history prior to marriage puts both partners at risk. We admittedly know nothing about you and your husband except what you have shared – but please allow us to say that if you have always felt / known that your husband has been faithful to you – this is not proof that that he has broken his marriage vows of faithfulness to you now.

Spiritually Speaking

Not knowing the spiritual condition of you and your husband please allow us to share the following with you. What you and your husband are facing today is one of the reasons why God's Word has strongly commanded: no sex until marriage. Sadly, this is an overwhelmingly common problem today. Our culture has treated sex as casual recreation for the past 40 years rather than the created sacred gift God has given to a husband and wife. There is no such thing as "safe sex"... now or ever. That is why Teen Straight Talk is so passionate about making every young person, college student and parent (/care giver) aware that abstinence before marriage is the only lifestyle that will produce a life filled with joy and happiness instead of regret and disease.

Please take the time to assess each of your spiritual lives. Do you have the joy of knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord of your life? If not, and you would like to... please email [[[ email hyperlink should go here ]]] us again – or visit perhaps you could check out 4 Spiritual Laws. [[[ hyperlink 4 spiritual laws here ]]]

We Care

We truly care about you and your husband. We will be praying for you, him, and your marriage – and all aspects of them (physical, emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually).

Please feel free to email us anytime – we are here for you.