I had genital warts 12 years ago and was treated with laser surgery. I have had no recurrence of the warts since then, and no problem with my Pap smears. According to my doctor, they are gone and I cannot infect anyone else with the virus. Is this true?

K.W.

Not necessarily. The human papilloma virus (HPV), the cause of genital warts, may remain dormant in your system for a number of years. It can crop up again, without notice. If this occurs, and you have an active lesion (a wart externally, or a flat wart on your cervix), you could unknowingly transmit the virus.

You certainly should inform all potential sexual partners of your history, and you should use a condom -- not just to prevent any possible transmission of HPV to a new partner, but also to protect yourself from contracting other STDs. If you are in a long-term relationship, you and your partner can decide together if the very small risk of your transmitting HPV is low enough to stop using condoms. Certainly, if you are trying to have a baby you will not be able to use condoms. At this point, the risk of transmission is low, but not -- nor will it ever be -- guaranteed to be zero.