Genital Warts
Source: MedlinePlus Health Topics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
What are genital warts? Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection ( STI ) caused by the human papillomavirus ( HPV ). There are many types of HPV. Some types of HPV can cause genital warts. Other types of HPV can cause cancer . There is no treatment for HPV, but your health care provider can treat genital warts. HPV vaccines may help prevent some of the HPV infections that cause genital warts. Who is at risk for genital warts? If you are sexually active, you can get genital warts during oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected partner. You can still get genital warts even if they are so small that you can't see them. It doesn't happen often, but genital warts can also be spread from a woman to her baby during childbirth. What are the symptoms of genital warts? Genital warts are often painless and may not cause any symptoms. You might not even know that you have them. Sometimes, they can also cause itching, burning, bleeding, or discomfort. The warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They are flesh-colored and can be flat or look bumpy like cauliflower. How are genital warts diagnosed? Your provider can usually find out if you have genital warts by seeing them during a physical exam or pelvic exam . In women, the warts usually occur in or around the vagina, on the cervix, or around the anus. Men may have warts on the tip of the penis, around the anus, or on the scrotum, thigh, or groin. What are the treatments for genital warts? The warts might disappear on their own, stay the same, or grow bigger or increase in number. A few ways that your provider can treat them include: Use medicines, cream, or ointment Remove them by burning, freezing, or cutting out the warts HPV stays in your body even after treatment. This means that warts can come back, and you can still spread HPV to others after genital warts are removed. Can genital warts be prevented? Getting an HPV vaccine may help prevent genital warts. HPV vaccines provid