Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Making the diagnosis
• Part 2 of 2: Treating genital warts
• Tips
• Warnings

Genital warts are caused by a sexually transmitted virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). It spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact during oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected partner. Most sexually active people will contract HPV at least once in their lifetime. There is no cure for genital warts, but it can pass on its own, and there is also a vaccine for it.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Making the diagnosis

1. Know that 90% of genital warts are caused by two strains of the HPV virus. If someone has genital warts, they have usually contracted some form of HPV. Although there is no cure for HPV yet, your body can eventually clear the virus itself.
   • Not all types of HPV lead to genital warts. Some types cause the well-known verrucas.
   • Genital warts can develop between 6 weeks and 6 months after sexual contact, although they sometimes go unnoticed for years.
   • Note that certain types of dangerous HPV strains can also lead to cervical and anal cancer, but those strains are rarer. The strains that cause warts are not the same as those that cause cancer.
2. Know what genital warts look like. Genital warts are soft appendages on and around the genitals and anus. Genital warts are usually flesh-colored and can be raised or flat, large or small, and sometimes resemble the top of a cauliflower. Genital warts can appear in different places depending on your gender.
   • Genital warts in women are:
     • In the vagina or anus
     • Outside the vagina or anus
     • On the cervix, in the body
   • In men there are genital warts:
     • On the penis
     • On the anus
     • On the scrotum
     • In the crotch, also on the thighs
3. Recognize the rare symptoms of genital warts. Genital warts sometimes produce symptoms not usually associated with genital warts. These include:
   • More fluid in and around the genital area
   • Bleeding after sex
   • More vaginal discharge
   • Itching in the genital area
4. Get examined by a doctor if you think you have genital warts. A doctor - usually a gynecologist - must first make the diagnosis before starting treatment. The doctor will perform a visual examination and an internal examination for women. Multiple smears may also be required if there is an abnormal rash, which is usually the case with genital warts.

Part 2 of 2: Treating genital warts

1. Be aware that genital warts will disappear on their own in most cases, although this is not always the case. Many men who have HPV do not show any symptoms or problems. Men and women who have HPV without symptoms can pass it on if they have unsafe sex.
2. Use an ointment for genital warts. If diagnosed by a doctor, you may be given one or more creams to put on the warts. Use it as directed to help you manage the symptoms as effectively as possible. The following topicals are prescribed for genital warts. Note that they are often very expensive and that it is not always fully reimbursed.
   • Condyline. Condyline is a solution with which the warts must be touched. It takes several weeks for the warts to fall off. It removes 45% to 90% of warts, although research shows that they come back in 30% to 60%.
   • Aldara. Aldara is a cream that inhibits the growth of cells. It is applied to the wart and causes less irritation than Condyline. In 70% to 85% of cases, the warts will disappear initially, but in 5% to 20% they will come back.
   • Veregen. This is an ointment made from green tea extract and other ingredients. It is prescribed to treat genital warts.
3. Talk to your doctor about other options. If the genital warts do not respond to topical creams, the doctor may be able to suggest a different strategy. Creams often work better on warts that are on moist areas, while the following things usually work better on dry surfaces:
   • Cryotherapy. Using liquid nitrogen, the wart is frozen so that it eventually falls off. It will get rid of the warts, but there is no guarantee that they will not come back.
   • Surgical removal. This minor surgery is performed by an experienced doctor under general or local anesthetic. The surgeon cuts the warts with a scalpel.
   • Trichloroacetic acid. This is most commonly used with genital warts. Trichloroacetic acid is also used in chemical peels and tattoo removal, and it actually burns away the wart.
   • Electrocautery. This procedure is performed less often than the others, but the warts are burnt away with electric current.
   • Laser surgery. This is not suitable in all areas, and laser surgery is usually the last resort when no other method works.
4. Choose the treatment recommended by your doctor. The doctor may give you two or more options for removing the genital warts. You will have to consider the inconvenience that the procedure will bring. Whatever treatment it is, it is always better than not having it treated. Do something about it before it gets worse.
5. Give the treatment time to do its job. As mentioned before, with many of the above methods, and a little patience, you will eventually get rid of your genital warts. However, if three doctor-prescribed treatments, or six doctor-approved home remedies, do not work, the doctor may want to change the course of treatment.

Tips

• A diagnosis of HPV or genital warts in either partner does not necessarily mean that someone has cheated on you.
• If you are infected, you must let all your sexual partners know.
• Help prevent the virus from spreading by having sex with a condom.
• HPV does not affect the health of a pregnant woman and it does not pose any complications to childbirth.
• There is a vaccine against HPV that can prevent infection with the virus when you are vaccinated as a child.
• Most people get HPV, but most people don't get genital warts.

Warnings

• Do not treat genital warts with the same remedies as for warts on your feet or fingers.