HPV and eye ointment

[RumiWithAView]

Would HPV in the mom (nothing active, but I know it doesn't go away) cause the need for eye ointment? My midwife is suggesting it to be on the safe side, but I don't recall that being one of the STDs that causes problems.

TIA.

[amyb15]

No. Cervical cancer, and possibly genital warts.

[guestmama9908]

The eye ointment is Erythromyacin. It is an antibiotic. HPV is a virus. erythromyacin isn't going to do a thing to HPV.

[RumiWithAView]

Originally Posted by amyb15

No. Cervical cancer, and possibly genital warts.

Thanks.

BTW, I meant problems with blindness. I knew about the problems in the carrier. It just seems that if it could cause problems for the baby then most everyone would be doing the eye ointment since I've heard that 80% of sexually active people have one form of HPV or another.

[RumiWithAView]

Originally Posted by CalenandEllasmomma

The eye ointment is Erythromyacin. It is an antibiotic. HPV is a virus. erythromyacin isn't going to do a thing to HPV.

Thanks for that info. Should I be worried my midwife didn't know that???

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by RumiWithAView

Thanks for that info. Should I be worried my midwife didn't know that???

Not laughing at you - I would probably be wondering the same thing. It just sounds funny. Personally, I probably wouldn't be too upset over it. They're specialists in delivering babies, not in communicable disease and they can't be expected to know everything. She just knows that eye ointment is for the prevention of STD related eye infections that could lead to blindness and she's working on the limited information she has, which is all she really needs to have to safely deliver babies, kwim?

One thing, though...In your first post you stated that you know that HPV never goes away, but it actually does. Herpes (HSV) never goes away, but most people completely recover from HPV and rid themselves of the virus.

[RumiWithAView]

Originally Posted by Plummeting

One thing, though...In your first post you stated that you know that HPV never goes away, but it actually does. Herpes (HSV) never goes away, but most people completely recover from HPV and rid themselves of the virus.

I didn't know that. Somewhere along the way, someone told me that once you get it, you have it forever... even if any symptoms go away that you are always a carrier.

Thanks for the info.

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by RumiWithAView

I didn't know that. Somewhere along the way, someone told me that once you get it, you have it forever... even if any symptoms go away that you are always a carrier.

Thanks for the info.

I think this was the common belief at some point in time. I had HPV (along with dysplasia) about 7ish years ago and I think I read information to that effect (that it was like herpes and you never cleared it) at the time. I'm positive that I read information about clearance rates for HPV at the time, and the way it was being presented was as if it was some novel, exciting thing that they had just discovered or something. It's possible that it was just my perception and they always knew it, but whatever I read back then definitely made me feel like they had only just realized that you didn't have HPV forever.

[RumiWithAView]

Originally Posted by Plummeting

I think this was the common belief at some point in time. I had HPV (along with dysplasia) about 7ish years ago and I think I read information to that effect (that it was like herpes and you never cleared it) at the time. I'm positive that I read information about clearance rates for HPV at the time, and the way it was being presented was as if it was some novel, exciting thing that they had just discovered or something. It's possible that it was just my perception and they always knew it, but whatever I read back then definitely made me feel like they had only just realized that you didn't have HPV forever.

I had it ten years ago also with dysplasia, but I've had normal paps ever since cryo and no other symptoms.

[13Sandals]

Plummeting -

my youngish gyn told me the common belief now is that the virus is 'cleared' from the body - (but I still see sites and occasionally have a doctor tell me its forever.) however, my gyn explained that they used to think that there were only a few strains of hpv - so if someone had a 'recurrence' 10 years later, it didn't occur to them that they had picked up a different strain and so thought it had simply stayed in the system...they know better now - though doesn't seem like everyone has gotten the memo....

[Plummeting]

Oh, that makes sense. Thanks, 13Sandals!