Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT
How do you get Genital Warts/How can you get them? Genital Warts Causes:
There are more than 70 types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and about 30 of them can be transmitted through sexual contact. Other types of HPV cause warts on other parts of the skin, such as the hands. Genital warts are caused by certain strains of HPV and are most commonly associated with types HPV-6 and HPV-11.
The other types of sexually transmitted HPV can cause cancer of the cervix and less frequently, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and throat cancer, as well as penile cancers. Those types are referred to as high-risk HPV.
HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact (most often, genital to genital), not through an exchange of body fluids. Even after the warts have been removed, it is possible for the virus to be shed from the area originally infected; this means the infection can be transmitted without any sexual partner being aware of it.
How to tell if you have them? Genital Warts Symptoms:
Warts may appear within several weeks after sexual contact with a person who has HPV, or they may take months or years to appear, or they may never appear.
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Warts may be so tiny, you might not see them. The warts may look like:
- Flesh-colored spots that are raised or flat
- Growths that look like the top of a cauliflower
Other symptoms are rare, but may include:
- Increased dampness in the genital area near the warts
- Increased vaginal discharge
- Genital itching
- Vaginal bleeding during or after sex
How to find out if you have them? Genital Warts Tests:
When warts are present, a healthcare provider can diagnose the warts visually, through a tissue sample, or a vinegar test to better detect the visual symptoms of warts.
Relief spells (Rolaids?!) Genital Warts Treatment:
The HPV virus is not curable.
However, if warts are present, they can be removed by being frozen off (cryotherapy), or burned off (electrocauterized, removed with a patient applied solution, dissolved with an acid solution, or removed by laser surgery).
What’s going to happen to me?!!?! Genital Warts Expectations:
Many sexually active young adults contract HPV. In many cases, HPV goes away on its own.
Most people with penises who become infected with HPV never develop any symptoms or problems from the infection. However, they can pass it on to current and future sexual partners.
Even after you have been treated for genital warts, you may still transmit it to others.
Things to be aware of… Complications:
The warts may become numerous and quite large, requiring more extensive treatment and follow-up procedures.
Genital warts are seldom dangerous, but they can be uncomfortable and can cause embarrassment.
- Detailed Genital Warts Symptoms
- Pictures of Genital Warts
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- Genital Warts Vaccine
- How to Not Give an Eff about Having an STI
References
- Symptoms
- Chow, Eric PF, et al. “Ongoing decline in genital warts among young heterosexuals 7 years after the Australian human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme.” Sex Transm Infect 91.3 (2015): 214-219.
- Suligoi, Barbara, et al. “Prevalence and incidence of external genital warts in a sample of Italian general female population.” BMC infectious diseases 17.1 (2017): 126.
- Bartels, Anne, Michael Crandall, and Leah Spring. “Recalcitrant genital papules: this patient was initially told he had genital warts, but the appearance of the lesions, and the presence of a rash on his trunk and extremities, suggested another diagnosis.” Journal of Family Practice 66.7 (2017): 457-461.
- Schöfer, Helmut, et al. “Sinecatechins and imiquimod as proactive sequential therapy of external genital and perianal warts in adults.” International journal of STD & AIDS 28.14 (2017): 1433-1443.
- Edwards, Sarah K. “Genital rash (including warts and infestations).” Medicine 46.6 (2018): 325-330.
- Testing
- Aung, Ei T., et al. “Detection of human papillomavirus in urine among heterosexual men in relation to location of genital warts and circumcision status.” Sex Transm Infect 94.3 (2018): 222-225.
- Boda, Daniel, et al. “HPV strain distribution in patients with genital warts in a female population sample.” Oncology letters 12.3 (2016): 1779-1782.
- Hu, Zhili, et al. “Dynamics of HPV viral loads reflect the treatment effect of photodynamic therapy in genital warts.” Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy 21 (2018): 86-90.
- Thomas, Réjean, et al. “P3. 189 Recurrence of human papillomavirus external genital wart infection among high-risk adults in montrÉal, quÉbec.” (2017): A163-A163.
- Zhu, Cansheng, et al. “Prevalence and distribution of HPV types in genital warts in Xi’an, China: a prospective study.” BMJ open 9.5 (2019): e023897.
- Treatment
- Park, Ina U., Camille Introcaso, and Eileen F. Dunne. “Human papillomavirus and genital warts: a review of the evidence for the 2015 centers for disease control and prevention sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 61.suppl_8 (2015): S849-S855.
- Yuan, Jianwei, et al. “Genital warts treatment: beyond imiquimod.” Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics 14.7 (2018): 1815-1819.
- Abu-Naser, Samy S., and Mones M. Al-Hanjori. “An expert system for men genital problems diagnosis and treatment.” (2016).
- Firooz, A., et al. “The efficacy and safety of other cryotherapy compounds for the treatment of genital warts: a randomized controlled trial.” Journal of Dermatological Treatment 30.2 (2019): 176-178.
- Das, Suchibrata, et al. “Auto-wart inoculation: An easy and effective treatment of multiple, recalcitrant and genital warts.” Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatology 26.3 (2017): 229-234.
- Prevention
- Park, Ina U., Camille Introcaso, and Eileen F. Dunne. “Human papillomavirus and genital warts: a review of the evidence for the 2015 centers for disease control and prevention sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 61.suppl_8 (2015): S849-S855.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases.” Washington DC Public Health Foundation 2 (2015): 20-2.
- Stanley, Margaret. “Preventing cervical cancer and genital warts–How much protection is enough for HPV vaccines?.” Journal of Infection 72 (2016): S23-S28.
- Sharma, M., S. Sy, and J. J. Kim. “The value of male human papillomavirus vaccination in preventing cervical cancer and genital warts in a low‐resource setting.” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 123.6 (2016): 917-926.
- Steben, Marc. “A Very Common Intimate Concern:“Will My Genital Warts Ever Stop Recurring?”.” (2018): 682-684.
- Transmission
- Chow, Eric Pui Fung, et al. “Ratio of anogenital warts between different anatomical sites in homosexual and heterosexual individuals in Australia, 2002–2013: implications for susceptibility of different anatomical sites to genital warts.” Epidemiology & Infection 143.7 (2015): 1495-1499.
- Mohammed, Hamish, et al. “Increase in sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men, England, 2014.” Emerging infectious diseases 22.1 (2016): 88.
- Ma, Liang, et al. “Distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes (2014–2016) in women with genital warts at a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Beijing, China.” Future Virology 13.2 (2018): 111-117.
- Schöfer, Helmut, et al. “Sinecatechins and imiquimod as proactive sequential therapy of external genital and perianal warts in adults.” International journal of STD & AIDS 28.14 (2017): 1433-1443.
- Grennan, Dara. “Genital Warts.” Jama 321.5 (2019): 520-520.
