The KISISS Report

Question:\nI have small red bumps on my penis. They do not itch or burn, and I have not noticed any pain when urinating. I am sexually active but in a relationship. The only other person that I have had intercourse with was almost a year ago. I have had only very minimal symptoms (three or four bumps) since that time. However, over the past two months or so, the number has increased. I have done some research and my symptoms seem congruent with HPV. I was wondering if it is common for the effects of the virus to occur so long after possible infection.\nAnswer:\nThere are more than 100 strains of the human papilloma virus, some of which can cause genital warts. HPV is a very common sexually transmitted infection, and most sexually active adults seem to acquire it at some point or another. Because it often doesn't show any symptoms at all, it's very easy to pass on to your sexual partners without knowing it. \nIf your former partner did transmit HPV to you, it may be that he or she didn't even know that they were infected, and didn't have any visible symptoms on their own body. Neither male nor female condoms can fully protect against HPV since it's transmitted through skin-to-skin contact (and condoms simply don't cover all of our genital skin), so even if you did use condoms when you were together, they wouldn't have prevented its transmission.\nSome people get a strain of HPV that causes warts, and they develop warts within weeks. Other times, warts don't show up for quite a few months, if they ever show up at all. This "lag time" often makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people with multiple partners to know for certain where they got HPV.\nWomen can get tested for HPV when they get a Pap test done, but as of right now we do not have HPV testing available for men. However, many healthcare providers (particularly dermatologists, who specialize in skin problems) can take a look at your red bumps and let you know if it appears to look like HPV or not. If they begin to bother you (either because you don't like how they look or if some point they get in the way of urination or sexual expression), they can often treat them (though they may come back). It also make turn out to be that the red bumps are something else entirely such as a rash or other kind of skin disorder. The only way to know if to check in with a healthcare provider and ask them to take a look. They regularly examine both men's and women's genitals for various health reasons, so it's all in a day's work as far as they're concerned. Good luck! \nVisit The Kinsey Institute Sexuality Information Service for Students (KISISS) online at www.indiana.edu/~kisissss, where you can ask questions, learn about our dorm sex ed programs or browse the Q&A archive.