I'm an early-thirties non-smoking female and have just recently received the results of a smear test which showed mildly abnormal (dyskaryotic) cells. This has coincided with the early stages of a new relationship in which (I know you'll be shocked) unprotectected oral sex has been a part (a new thing for me). I confess that I did not know of the potential of HPV to cause oral cancers before and am now concerned at the risks for myself and my boyfriend.

Some theories on HPV (especially in US research) suggest that oral sex should not take place while detectable signs (either warts or cell changes) are present. If I had known this beforehand, I would have been much more cautious, both for my oral health and for his. Would it be advisable for us to abstain for the moment?

The fact that I now know I probably have some strain of HPV (as opposed to it just being a statistical likelihood)is scary enough. For the moment, I know that my cervix is being monitored for the effects of this, but oral monitoring is less regular and well-defined. I don't know whether I should pay for HPV testing (£200+) to find out exactly what I have in order to better understand the risk, to me and my partner.

I know that given his past, statistically it is likely he has already been unknowingly exposed to oral HPV before. However, I want us to stay as safe as we can. To be honest, I'm getting extremely paranoid about this.

I have read (endlessly) about Maura Gillison's study on oral HPV and testing procedures. Is there anything I can do to detect an oral HPV infection?

None of this is helped by the fact that I have had a sore throat for over two weeks. It seems to be related to a lurking nearly-cold, but it's making me worry that the irritation to my throat has made it more likely for oral HPV to get into my throat tissues and for a persistent HPV infection to develop. I am going to go to my doctor about the sore throat and pluck up courage to ask her about oral risks.

There is just too much scary information about this on the internet.

Hi ukgirl

I have to agree with you on one point: there is just too much scary information about this on the internet, and when you're scared already it just seems so much worse.

Even though it's costly, I would certainly have HPV testing done. You might also want to talk him into testing, if only to prevent this happening to someone else in the future.

I hope everything goes well with the doctor. Please let us know.

Thanks for your reply, Julia. At the moment, I am in a full-blown panic about this.

While there *are* places that offer HPV testing for men, there seems to be varying opinions on how useful this is. As far as I understand, there is no officially recognised testing procedure for men, other than tissue biopsy, or testing of visible warts. I don't know whether a swab test would be likely to give false reassurance.

My sore throat is still coming and going, and I don't know how much anxiety is playing a part in that now. I have read that "trauma to the oropharynx" is implicated in the progression of persistent HPV infections and I am very concerned that sore throat qualifies for that.

Are there any posters with persistent oral HPV or HPV-related conditions who could shed any light on this subject? Or Dr. Joshi?

Hello,

I am new here. I had an irregular pap smear 10 years ago. Recently my Dr found a growth in my throat. It was removed last week and I am waiting on biopsy results. He said it looked like a papilloma. I will let you know what I find out. I have had normal pap smears for so many years I had almost forgotten about the disease.

Hi worries...

Thank you for your post. I really hope the biopsy results are negative for anything nasty. May I ask how your doctor found the growth? Was it giving you any pain or difficulties, or was it just a routine check?

This is a worrying area, especially for anyone who has had any abnormal cervical changes. Having just recently found out about the potential dangers, I have been worrying a lot and I send you *big hugs*.

Sorry... I see you covered how it was found in your original post. This is another reason I should get my sore throat checked out, not least because I find it really hard to check my own tonsils.

Hello ukgirl

Not all the people with HPV infections develop cancers, so it best to just be alert to changes in our body (regardless of being HPV+ve or not) and not worry too much. Let's hope the promised vaccine for HPV will help reduce risk further. You might find this HPV forum helpful.

Do keep us informed of how you are dealing with this situation. There are not many clear answers available at the moment.

Best wishes
Vinod