Where is genital warts

You may not start to develop warts for several weeks or months after infection. They may be very small and the color of the skin or slightly darker. The top of the growths may resemble a cauliflower and may feel smooth or slightly bumpy to the touch. They may occur as a cluster of warts, or just one wart.

Genital warts may also appear on the lips, mouth , tongue, or throat of a person who has had oral sexual contact with a person who has HPV. Most cases of genital warts are caused by HPV. There are 30 to 40 strains of HPV that specifically affect the genitals, but just a few of these strains cause genital warts.

In fact, in most cases, the virus goes away on its own without causing any health problems. Genital warts are usually caused by strains of HPV that differ from the strains that cause warts on your hands or other parts of the body.

Any sexually active person is at risk of getting HPV. However, genital warts are more common for people who:. HPV infection is the main cause of cancer in the cervix. It can also lead to precancerous changes to the cells of the cervix, which is called dysplasia.

Other types of HPV may also cause cancer of the vulva, which are the external genital organs of women. They can also cause penile and anal cancer. To diagnose this condition, your doctor will ask questions about your health and sexual history. Your doctor will also perform a physical examination of any areas where you suspect warts may be occurring. They may apply a mild acidic solution, which helps to make the warts more visible.

Your doctor may also do a Pap test also known as a Pap smear , which involves taking a swab of the area to obtain cells from your cervix. These cells can then be tested for the presence of HPV. Certain types of HPV may cause abnormal results on a Pap test, which may indicate precancerous changes. If your doctor detects these abnormalities, you may need either more frequent screenings to monitor any changes or a specialized procedure called a colposcopy.

This determines what strain of HPV you have in your system. While visible genital warts often go away with time, HPV itself can linger in your skin cells. This means you may have several outbreaks over the course of your life. So managing symptoms is important because you want to avoid transmitting the virus to others. That said, genital warts can be passed on to others even when there are no visible warts or other symptoms. You may wish to treat genital warts to relieve painful symptoms or to minimize their appearance.

Your doctor can also remove the warts through these procedures:. Hand and genital warts are caused by different strains of HPV, and treatments designed for other areas of the body are often much stronger than treatments used on the genitals. A HPV vaccine can be effective in preventing genital warts, as well as other conditions including cervical cancer. These vaccines are most effective if given before a young person becomes sexually active and are usually given between 11 and 13 years of age.

Catch-up programs are sometimes available up to the age of 26, but vaccination in people over 26 has been shown to be ineffective. There are a number of vaccines available Gardasil and Cervarix, for example , each protecting against a number of different HPV strains. No vaccine is able to protect against all strains of HPV, nor guarantee defence against all types of genital warts.

The human papillomavirus HPV that causes genital warts can also cause several forms of cancers, including: [8]. Q: Should sexual intercourse be avoided when genital warts are present? A: Yes. HPV is highly contagious, meaning sexual intercourse should be avoided to prevent passing the virus on. If this is not possible, a condom should be worn. Q: Genital warts during pregnancy — should I be worried?

A: Generally, no. It is unlikely that HPV will be passed from mother to baby before or during childbirth. Q: Can genital warts be contracted from oral sex? To prevent the spread of genital warts through oral sex, a condom should be worn at all times. Q: Can genital warts cause cancer? A: While genital warts themselves cannot be said to cause cancer, some strains of the HPV virus can cause certain types of cancer. Cervical cancer and anal cancer are often linked to HPV infection. NHS Choices.

Accessed June 23, In the know ZONE. Accessed June 26, National Cancer Institute. This website meets the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. What are genital warts? Symptoms of genital warts Most people who contract HPV will not develop any visible symptoms.

Causes of genital warts Human papillomavirus HPV causes genital warts. Transmission Genital warts are spread through skin-to-skin contact, primarily through oral, vaginal or anal sex.

Latency and reappearance HPV naturally clears from the body in two years or under in 90 percent of cases. Genital warts treatment There is no cure for genital warts — no way to remove HPV from the patient's system — meaning that treatment is focussed on removing the warts or preventing them from spreading.

If the patient does opt for treatment, there are a number of different options to explore: Application of antiviral gels or creams. These solutions are marketed in a number of different varieties but are generally applied by the patient themselves over the course of a number of days or weeks.

Creams and lotions can eliminate the warts over time, and there are various procedures to remove them. Genital wart outbreaks usually resolve without treatment. However, in some cases, the warts grow or multiply without intervention. Also, treating outbreaks of these warts can greatly reduce the risk of transmission. People should not apply treatments designed to eliminate warts on the hands or feet to their genitals.

The treatments are not painful but may cause soreness or irritation for a few days, and over-the-counter pain relief medications can help.

It may take weeks or months for the treatments to work. For some people, the treatments do not work. Others may find that the warts return.

Do home remedies work for genital warts? Find out here. Getting the HPV vaccine can prevent a person from contracting certain types of the virus including those that can cause genital warts or cancer. Officials have approved this vaccine for use in people up to the age of It is important for sexually active people to keep in mind that a person can transmit HPV without knowing that they have it — without the presence of genital warts.

Having regular STI screenings is key, especially before contact with a new partner. Genital warts, like other warts, are caused by certain types of HPV. There are more than different types of the virus, but only types 6 and 11 cause genital warts. Genital warts are sexually transmitted. A person can contract or transmit an HPV infection through skin-to-skin genital contact, such as during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

Some people have the infection but experience no symptoms and show no signs. A doctor can usually recognize genital warts during a physical exam. This may involve looking inside the vagina or anus. Rarely, the doctor may take a biopsy, a small skin sample, of a wart for further testing.