What Are Genital Warts?

Genital warts (commonly referred to as venereal warts, or Condylomata Acuminate) is a widespread sexually transmitted disease that affects both men and women alike.

Affecting typically the moist tissues of the genital region, genital warts appear as small, flesh colored lumps and may have the appearance of cauliflower. Although some genital warts may be very tiny (with a diameter of around one millimeter), it is not uncommon to find multiple clusters of warts that are very large.

Genital Warts in Women and Men

In the female population, genital warts are characteristically found on the vulva, the vaginal walls, the expanse between the external genitalia and the anus, and on the cervix. 

Genital warts may also represent on the male penis on either the shaft or the tip, on the scrotum, or the anal area.  Both men and women have been found to develop genital warts in the throat and mouth if they were exposed through oral sex with someone carrying the disease.

Symptoms of Genital Warts

Symptoms of the disease (other than visual inspection that reveals genital warts) include itching or discomfort in the genital area and bleeding during or after sexual intercourse. 

Frequently, however, there are no symptoms of genital warts because the disease can lay dormant for long periods of time, or the warts may be so flat and small that the naked eye can’t detect them during a routine examination. 

Pregnant women who are actively infected may experience a worsening infection during pregnancy, and oftentimes pregnancy may initiate a dormant infection to become active.

What Causes Genital Warts?

Genital warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which infects the skin’s top layer.  HPV exists in more than one hundred different types, with only a handful having the capability to cause genital warts.  The strains of HPV that do cause genital warts are highly contagious and easily spread through sexual contact. 

Most people (66 percent or higher) who have sexual relations with an infected person develop the disease, which usually manifests itself within three months of initial contact.  However, it is important to note that, although infected, some people may show no symptoms because the virus is lying dormant in their bodies.  These people may unintentionally spread the disease to unsuspecting partners.

How to Prevent Genital Warts?

People who have unprotected sex with multiple partners are at an increased risk of becoming infected with HPV and contracting genital warts.  Those who have had other sexually transmitted diseases, became sexually active at a young age, or have sex with a partner about whose sexual history they are unclear, are all more susceptible and at risk to becoming infected.

How to Know Wheter You Have Genital Warts?

There are various tests that can determine the presence of both genital warts and HPV. 

Due to the difficulty of detecting genital warts is early stage, physicians often apply an acetic acid solution to the genital region to “whiten” any warts that may be hidden, and then view them through a highly sensitive microscope called a colposcope. 

Regular pelvic examinations coupled with PAP tests and smears aid in the detection of both cervical and vaginal changes that are caused by genital warts, as well as uncover early signs of cancer of the cervix – which is linked to HPV infection.  Those who have genital warts need to have a PAP test every three to six months, as determined by their treating gynecologist or other healthcare provider.

Genital Warts Treatment

There are a variety of treatments that are effective to suppress the virus and subsequent outbreaks of genital warts. 

Medications such as Aldara (a topical cream), Condylox (which destroys wart tissue) or Trichloracetic acid (chemical treatment that “burns off” the warts). 

Surgery is an alternative to removing larger warts or warts that are nonresponsive to medication.  Surgical options include cryotherapy (freezing), electrocautery (burning with electrical current), surgical excision, and laser treatment.  Genital warts symptoms, however, may recur several months or even several years after treatment.

A new vaccine (Gardasil) offers protection from the most potent strains of HPV.  Approved in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration, the vaccine is typically administered in girls ages eleven and twelve, as well as women ages thirteen through twenty-six years of age who haven’t been vaccinated.