Genital warts
genital; warts; HPV; sexually; transmitted; young; people; diseases; infections; human; papilloma; virus; cervical; cancer; pap; smear; test;
Contents
Genital warts are very common sexually transmitted infections. The genital wart viruses (types of Human Papilloma viruses or HPVs) are different from the viruses that cause the warts that people get on their hands and feet. Many people have HPV infections, but don't have genital warts.
Genital warts can be so tiny you can hardly see them, while others are quite big and noticeable. The warts might not come out for months or even years after the sexual contact. Wart virus can still be passed on even if you can't see warts or it seems like they're gone, because the virus is still hanging around. Warts themselves are not painful and do not cause health problems but people do not like having them, and they might not be acceptable to partners.
Some types of the HPV virus can lead to cervical cancer in some women who become infected, but the HPVs that cause genital warts are not linked to cervical cancer.
WARNING:
If you suspect you have a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), don't give it to others, get tested and treated quickly.
Signs
The only sign of having warts is when someone sees them or feels them.
- Some might be very small, others might clump together and have a cauliflower kind of look.
- You could find them around the genital area or anus.
- Women have them most often on the vulva (the outer folds of the genitals) and men have them most often on the penis - but they can be in other places too.
- They don't cause any pain.
- A doctor can tell you if a lump or bump is a genital wart by looking at it.
Treatment
So how do you get rid of those warty growths? Well, there are a few ways.
- A doctor can give you treatment such as freezing them off or painting a special lotion on to the warts.
- If they're really difficult to get rid of you can have them removed with laser treatment in hospital.
- Don't try to treat them yourself. It is really easy to burn the skin around the wart and cause other problems.
Most people do not have the warts treated. They will go away by themselves but this can take a long time.
Prevention
- HPV is very easily spread by direct skin contact with a partner during vaginal or anal sex. Condoms covering the affected area will give some protection but not complete protection. That's because sometimes you can't see where the warts are, especially if they're in the vagina or rectum, also because the warts might not be in an area that is covered by a condom or the virus is there, but there are no warts.
- Getting warts treated as soon as you know you have them will help to stop the spread.
- Vaccines are available to protect women from some types of HPV. The vaccines that are being used to help protect women against HPV so they are less likely to get cervical cancer also offer protection against HPV types 6 and 11 which cause 90 percent of genital warts.
- Don't forget there are other methods of safer sex, such as only getting into sexual activities that don't involve intercourse. See our topic Safer sex.
Important Note:
The legal age for sexual intercourse in South Australia is 17 years.
HPV and cervical cancer
There are at least 40 types of HPVs that cause genital infections.
The HPV types that cause cervical cancer (HPV strains 16 and 18 cause around 70 percent of all cervical cancers) are not the same types that cause genital warts (HPV types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of genital warts).
When the types of HPV linked to cervical cancer infect the cervix of the uterus, they cause changes to cells on the surface of the cervix. Usually these cells return to normal without any treatment, but sometimes they do not, and there is an increased risk of developing cancer of the cervix.
HPV infections are very common, but most women who have an HPV infection will not develop cervical cancer.
- These changes can be found by doing a Pap smear, and the cancer can be prevented by treating the abnormal cells.
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in women (after breast cancer) in the world. Cervical cancer now causes far fewer deaths in Australia because the cancer can be cured if the changes to the cervix are found at an early stage (by a Pap smear).
- 85% of women who die from cervical cancer in Australia have either not had a Pap smear ever, or not recently.
- The best advice is for all women who have ever been sexually active to have regular Pap smears from the age of 18.
Resources in South Australia
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Service (South Australia) 'Genital warts and HPV'
http://www.stdservices.on.net/publications/pdf/Genital%20Warts.pdf
Department of Health, South Australia 'Genital warts'
http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/pehs/ygw/genitalwarts-pehs-sahealth-2009.pdf
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).