QUESTION
My wife and I have been married for 9 years. She was just told she has HPV. I don't understand what is going on, in the 9 years I have been with my wife I have not slept with anyone else but her. But now she thinks I’ve slept around and she got HPV from me. I don't know what to tell her so that she will believe that I’ve been faithful. Could this be something she could or I could have had before we met? We both had sex with other people before we met.

ANSWER
While most HPV infections clear on their own, some HPV infections can live in the body for a long time, and often do not cause any symptoms. It is very possible for male or female partners to have HPV for years (10, 20, even more) and never know it. It certainly could have been obtained from past sexual partners. HPV is extremely common, and most people who have been with two or more sexual partners in a lifetime have been exposed to the virus.

For more information on HPV, visit http://www.sfcityclinic.org/stdbasics/hpv.asp.

To your health,
Dr. K