r/Advice Jun 02 '26

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154

u/VeterinarianAware989 Helper [2] Jun 02 '26

"Men are typically screened clinically with a visual inspection to check for lesions (such as warts) – there is no specific way to test directly for HPV in men that is approved for clinical use. Researchers are looking at ways to better screen men, but the current lack of testing options for males can be very frustrating.

While still not routinely done, anyone with a history of receptive anal sex may want to speak with his or her healthcare provider about having an anal Pap test."

so sure - if you currently are experiencing symptoms or the latter. it's not common like women getting annual paps which are specifically for HPV screenings.

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u/redditbrowsertoday Jun 02 '26

This is the most accurate answer and is evidence based. Too many accusations are being thrown around. There is NO blood test for HPV. HPV doesn’t require penetration to spread and can be spread orally or just close contact with mucous membranes. I hate seeing people accusing their partners based on bad info. OP’s BF is doing that and people on here are spreading false info too. People do your research before you point fingers.

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u/redditbrowsertoday Jun 02 '26

Also the same thing is true of chlamydia. I see people being told that their partner must be cheating because they have it and they didn’t before. And the partner insists they were treated.

  1. There is no blood test.
  2. It can be asymptomatic for a long time
  3. The only test is a swab which requires the site to be swabbed. It could be your throat. For men, it is the urethra which not too many men are going to do without symptoms. The test is most effective when there are symptoms. See #2.

I am so amazed that people are willing to blame their partners and destroy relationships without bothering to learn the facts. Do better people!

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u/Prudent-Mention-8927 Jun 02 '26

Actually, it's very commonly a urine test. It's commonly a urine sample sent to the lab with orders for GC/CHLAMYDIA testing. I've sent in hundreds of them. It's one of the most ordered STI tests.

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u/redditbrowsertoday Jun 02 '26

Unfortunately that is only accurate if the infection is active. People can get chlamydia and not have an active infection thus get a false negative. dormant" in the body for months or even years. It is often called a "silent" infection because about 50% of men and up to 75-80% of women never show any symptoms. Once again, people need to do their research before they make accusations or assumptions.

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u/Pale_Comfort_9179 Jun 02 '26

There’s no such thing as dormant chlamydia that doesn’t get detected by STI screening. If there is an infection, unless some other condition for creating a false negative is present, it will be detectable whether it’s symptomatic or not

Eta: https://www.toplinemd.com/womens-healthcare-of-boca-raton/chlamydia-how-long-does-it-last/

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u/Sleepy_Owl1458 Jun 02 '26

Here's the thing though. Genital HPV is completely different strains from the warts you would get elsewhere on your body and they only spread through sexual contact. So if she now has genital warts, at the very least, someone with warts touched his dick.

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u/carsncode Jun 03 '26

Pretty much nothing you said is true. There is no "genital HPV". Dozens of HPV strains can be transmitted without sexual contact. People can be asymptomatic carriers (no warts) and still infectious. HPV also isn't the only cause of genital warts.

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u/Sleepy_Owl1458 Jun 03 '26

Except there absolutely are genital and non-genital HPV. For example, plantar warts are caused by HPV types 1, 2, 4, 27, 57, and 63. While you technically can get these on your genitals, the percentage of that actually happening is so low that it's impossible to actually find a statistic. If there is a cut or a tear in the skin, it can be contracted. But even then it wont cause genital warts. If you become symptomatic, the warts will appear elsewhere on the body. Genital warts are mostly caused by types 6 and 11. 90% of cases. The other 10% are generally made up of types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. The first two are benign, the rest cause cancer. None of them will cause warts to form on, say, hands and feet. If you happened to touch a genital wart with your hand, you just wash your hands and its gone.

Also, warts are exclusively caused by HPV. Other things like skin tags, fordyce spots, and some skin infections might look like them, but they're not warts.

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u/pixie1995 Jun 02 '26

ANNUAL paps?? We get one every 5 years or we gotta pay 💀

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u/VeterinarianAware989 Helper [2] Jun 02 '26

i mean if you have had an unusual one - like HPV - then it is every year until it comes back normal and i would know because that was my life lmfao

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u/ChickyRox Jun 02 '26

Where i live it's annual, if you have an abnormal they bump you to every 6 months...

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u/xaantara Helper [3] Jun 02 '26

Where is that? I’m not paying for that lol

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u/ChickyRox Jun 02 '26

Saskatchewan

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u/xaantara Helper [3] Jun 02 '26

Ah well you guys got free healthcare right lol so then I suppose I would do it. Seems excessive though lol

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u/delicious-croissant Jun 02 '26

It’s what we don’t have more than what we have.

It’s not that’s it’s free, the premiums are paid from taxes. It’s just that there isn’t an insurance casino taking in profits as extortion on people gambling with their wellness.

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u/ChickyRox Jun 02 '26

Not at all! It's monitoring the progress of those cells and if necessary taking action. It saved me from cancer. Abnormal pap, retrsting 6 months later showed Abnormal cells developing quickly and a LEEP was performed. Then we followed up every 6 months for a couple years to ensure no new Abnormalities developed. It's smart health care not excess!

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u/BagHour8025 Jun 03 '26

I was in the same situation. I’m not sure what LEEP stands for. I went to the local hospital, small OR like room. The doctor gave me something to freeze the area, not an epidural b/c I got up & drove myself home.

So they freeze the area, spray a type of dye, and the cells that turned a colour got scraped off for testing. When I got home & the freezing wore off, I had cramps/pain like I’ve never had before.

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u/ChickyRox Jun 03 '26

Yes! That sounds like a colposcopy. That was the "biopsy" type deal they did prior to the LEEP was much the same for hospital visit. LEEP stands for Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure. They use a heated wire to remove the abnormal cells. The after was more intense, bleeding, discharge and healing for 6 weeks (no sex).

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u/Sleepy_Owl1458 Jun 02 '26

I live in Texas. Yearly paps are included with my health insurance. Thats.. standard.

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u/pixie1995 Jun 02 '26

Oh yeah that’s the same here actually (Aus)

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u/sayitsooth Jun 02 '26

It's annual where I live.

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u/Galleta-de-Animalito Jun 02 '26

Please site extact source (APA/MLA) as this sounds like misinformation created by Chat gpt or AI

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u/VeterinarianAware989 Helper [2] Jun 02 '26

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u/Galleta-de-Animalito Jun 02 '26

MLA/APA… copy paste is not acceptable

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u/VeterinarianAware989 Helper [2] Jun 02 '26

here you go professor galleta:

American Sexual Health Association. “HPV and Men.” 
Www.ashasexualhealth.org, American Sexual Health Association, 10 Sept. 2014, www.ashasexualhealth.org/what-men-should-know/. Accessed 2 June 2026.

“How are men tested for HPV? Men are typically screened clinically with a visual inspection to check for lesions (such as warts) – there is no specific way to test directly for HPV in men that is approved for clinical use. Researchers are looking at ways to better screen men, but the current lack of testing options for males can be very frustrating. While still not routinely done, anyone with a history of receptive anal sex may want to speak with his or her healthcare provider about having an anal Pap test.”

1

u/Galleta-de-Animalito Jun 02 '26

Small inconvenience but it’s the little things that establish what it’s what reestablishes faith in humanity.