u/Massive_Mirror_5382

Hi everyone! I just wanted to create this post to hear about people's lives after being diagnosed with HPV genital warts. I'm looking for some hope because I often struggle with feeling like I'm damaged, and I'm trying to remind myself that my diagnosis doesn't define me.

Has anyone gone on to get married or have a successful, loving relationship after their diagnosis? Have you had children? If so, what was your pregnancy and delivery experience like? Did you have any outbreaks during pregnancy, and did HPV affect your child in any way?
I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thank you so much for sharing.

**July 2025 changed me in ways I never expected.**
I’m a 27F, and last year I discovered external genital warts in both my vaginal and rectal area. I got checked out and it was confirmed to be HPV-related genital warts. What shocked me most was that I had never had anal intercourse, so the diagnosis left me confused, scared, and full of questions.

I eventually underwent an anoscopy with surgical excision and fulguration for anal wart removal. Thankfully, recovery went smoothly, and it’s now been almost a year with no recurrence. I’m incredibly grateful for that. Since then, I’ve also been consistent with vitamins, taking better care of myself, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Physically, I’ve healed. Emotionally, though, this experience changed me deeply.

Ever since my diagnosis, dating and intimacy have felt different. I sometimes catch myself thinking no one will want me, or that I’m somehow less deserving of love because of HPV. Before all of this, I barely even knew much about HPV, and now it feels like something that quietly lives in the back of my mind every day.

I try to picture myself meeting someone in the future, but there’s still fear there. Fear of disclosure, fear of rejection, fear that I’ll never fully enjoy intimacy the way I once did. More than anything, I miss the version of myself before all of this — the version of me that didn’t carry so much anxiety, and overthinking.

I’m trying to give myself grace instead of constantly judging myself. I guess I’m posting this because I’m still trying to find my way back to myself emotionally, even after healing physically. If anyone else has gone through something similar, I’d really appreciate hearing your experience and successful relationships, marriage etc.