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Genital Warts
Genital warts are caused by a virus known as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). There are many different strains of the HPV but two most commonly cause genital warts. It is a very common sexually transmitted infection, and it is possible for people to carry the virus without showing symptoms.
Genital warts can only be diagnosed if a person has symptoms, but if you believe you have had sexual contact with someone with Genital warts, it is best to have a full sexual health screen. The doctor or nurse can check for warts at the same time.
How is it passed on?
Genital warts can be passed on by;
- Unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone with the HPV virus.
- Skin-to-skin contact with someone who has warts
- Sharing sex toys
- Rarely from mother to baby at birth.
Signs and symptoms
Warts may appear as small fleshy growths or bumps which can be anywhere in the genital area. Even if you do not have anal sex, you may still have warts around the anus. Warts can appear in different ways for different people, so if you notice any changes at all it is important to get checked out.
What Happens if I‘m diagnosed with warts?
Warts are relatively harmless, and will sometimes clear up by themselves. We offer treatment for them mainly for cosmetic reasons (so that the warty lumps disappear), treatment may also reduce the amount of virus in the skin. Sometimes the warts are itchy and occasionally painful. They can be removed with a chemical solution/cream which can be applied at home or by freezing the warts off in the clinic (this may require several appointments for treatments).
Once someone has been infected with the wart virus (HPV), it may remain in the body for some time. Someone who is infected with HPV may find that they only get warts when they are run down, or some may have no further warts.
If you have been diagnosed with warts and are female, it is important that you stay up-to-date with smear tests (from your cervix/neck of the womb), but you do not need more regular smear tests than any other woman. A few less common strains of HPV have been linked to changes in the cells of the cervix that may eventually lead to cervical cancer over a long time. These strains are not the common ones that usually cause the visible warts and may not show signs on the outside. That is why all sexually active women should have regular smears regardless of ever having warts.
If you are pregnant, warts can suddenly show up because your body’s defence system changes during pregnancy. The warts can be treated with freezing. We try and avoid chemical creams so as not to harm the baby. You should expect to have a normal vaginal delivery - warts rarely cause any problems with normal delivery of the baby.
You can help protect yourself against HPV (wart virus) by using condoms
every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex. If you are unsure of
how to use condoms, please ask to see a health adviser who will be happy
to talk about it.
