Genital warts: what are your experiences?

So, like, maybe two or three years ago, I was feeling around near my vaginal opening and totally felt this little bump... it was probably only like half a centimeter, but man, it stung so bad whenever I touched it. I finally worked up the nerve to go see my OB-GYN recently, and he told me it's just a genital wart and put some kind of cream on it. But here's the thing—I haven't even been sexually active yet, so I'm super confused about how I could have even gotten this? (Even my doctor was like, "I'm not really sure how that happened" since I haven't had any partners.) Do you think it’ll ever actually go away? 😢

I mean, why didn't you just check in with your gynecologist about this?
There are actually some really great deep-dive threads on STDs here if you want to take a look. Apparently, those warts are just one specific strain of the HPV virus—and thankfully, it's the much milder version.
The thing is, you can pick it up through skin-to-skin contact, so it doesn't even necessarily have to involve sex.

So, I just did a quick Google search since I was hanging out at home, and I realized that warts can actually be a symptom of HPV. It's weird because there wasn't even any direct contact, like, penises or vaginas touching or anything... 😢

Man, I'm sorry to hear that.😢
You could've picked it up from someone else's towel or a razor... even if there wasn't direct contact, maybe some kind of "skin-to-skin" thing happened?🤣 🤷
Either way, this virus is incredibly stubborn—it doesn't just "die off" easily—so there's really no point in spiraling over the hows and whys right now. The main thing is to get it handled and stay on top of your follow-up appointments.🙂

Rebecca Morris2 said:I just did a quick Google search and realized a wart could actually be an HPV symptom. There wasn't even any sexual contact involved, 😢

So, wouldn't that serve as proof that HPV can actually spread without direct intercourse?😕

Did you end up getting tested for HPV?

Rebecca Morris2 said:It’s just because I finally looked it up online at home and realized that a wart can actually be a symptom of HPV. We didn't even have direct intercourse, so... 😢

Unfortunately, condoms don't really stop the spread of the HPV virus since it shows up in a much wider area than just the genitals. It's possible it could have been transmitted through hand contact? 🤷

Look, before you read everything else and start spiraling—this isn't the worst thing that could happen. There are ways to get rid of them. Your immune system is honestly so important here; if yours is strong, those warts might not even keep coming back.
It might be a good idea to let the person you were hanging out with know, just so they can see if they're spreading it too.

Grace Chase97 said:Ugh, man, I am so sorry.😢
Honestly, you could have picked it up from someone else's towel or even a razor... I mean, even if there wasn't direct sex, maybe there was just some skin-to-skin stuff?🤣 🤷
Anyway, this virus is super persistent and it's really hard to kill off, so I guess there isn't much point in stressing over how or why it happened right now. The main thing is just getting it handled and staying on top of your follow-ups with the doctor.🙂

It’s possible, like, there was some touching, maybe clitoral stimulation, but I wasn't really paying attention to whether he had touched himself before that... maybe I just picked it up at a public restroom or something.😢

Sarah Mendoza70 said:then that might actually be proof that HPV can spread without actual intercourse.😕

so, did they do an HPV swab for you?

No, they didn't do a swab, they just did a visual exam. I told them I haven't had sex, which is true. I mean, finger play doesn't really count as sex, right? I guess?

Jamie Davis17 said:unfortunately condoms don't stop the spread of HPV since it shows up on a much wider area than just the genitals. It's totally possible via hands, right?🤷

Look, before you read everything and totally freak out—it's really not the worst thing that could happen. There are ways to get rid of it. Your immune system is huge here—if it's strong, the warts might just stop showing up altogether.
It might be a good idea to let whoever you were hanging out with know, just so they know what's going on.

Yeah, it's definitely possible it was through hands. I don't even know what he used on me, he just said if it doesn't clear up, I should come back and I'll probably need like 2 or 3 more "burning" treatments. He didn't say anything about another follow-up though. And my immune system? Yeah, it's basically non-existent right now.😢

Sarah Mendoza70 said:Then you might just become the living proof that HPV can be transmitted without any sexual contact whatsoever—though I suppose we’ll have to see how that plays out.😕

Sure, it’s possible—it’s just statistically less likely, I suppose. That seems to be the part people consistently miss, which leads to all that guesswork regarding exactly when or from whom someone contracted an HPV strain. People love to point fingers and say, "Oh, I definitely got it from this person at this specific time." Honestly, unless you’ve spent your entire life being completely celibate with just one single partner since your first encounter, there's really no way to know for certain. It's all just speculation, really.😁Even then, you can't pin down the exact timing—it’s just impossible to be certain. I suppose that's why they say the same thing applies to those cases involving virgins, too.

Since the original poster already started a discussion on this exact issue in the appropriate thread, I’m going to go ahead and lock this one down. 🙂