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SafeSexGuide
GENITAL WARTS
GENITAL WARTS

Also known as: Condyloma, Venereal Warts, Anal Warts, Human Papilloma Virus, HPV

How You Get It (Exposure):

The human papillomavirus spreads between sexual partners during close skin to skin contact -- penetration is not necessary and a condom may not protect you. Although the type of HPV that causes genital warts won't grow on toys and grow rarely on fingers, they can carry the virus between partners. You can also carry the virus from one part of your body to another. Warts grow much better inside your anus or vagina so most people never see warts on a partner's penis but catch the infection nevertheless.

Warning Signs (Symptoms):

Warts are generally painless and the only indication that you have them is the tiny bumps you feel and/or see. Occasionally they cause itching or other skin irritation. When anal warts become large they can cause bleeding and pain with bowel movements.

For Men: More than half of all men who have sex with men carry this virus in their anal canals. The virus does not grow well on your penis so you may not see a wart there. Warts inside your anus can be very dangerous (precancerous or cancerous) so be sure your doctor checks you inside with acetic acid and magnification to spot tiny warts.

For Women: It is a well documented fact that most women contract the human papillomavirus before their third episode of sexual intercourse. The good news is that most women clear the infection through their body's own immune response. Women who have HPV in their vagina or cervix also have a high incidence of having it in their anus as well -- whether or not they've ever had anal sex.

Getting Checked Out (Diagnosis)/Treatment:

Doctors who recognize their distinct appearance often make the diagnosis of genital warts visually. Although typically the warts look white, they can be lighter or darker than your normal skin. In order to see your warts well doctors should use acetic acid (vinegar). If you have anal or vulvar warts, your doctor must also look inside to be sure that you don't have more severe warts lurking farther up. Since warts can sometimes have an atypical appearance, resembling a skin blemish or mole, I advise doctors to biopsy one of the skin lesions to be sure that it really is a condyloma and not something else.

Therapy for genital warts can be divided into three main categories: topical, surgical or immunotherapy. Topical therapy involves the physical destruction of the wart with a variety of chemicals, whereas immunotherapy stimulates your body's own defenses to kill warts. Surgery actually removes the warts.

If Left Untreated:

You should expect your warts to come back, so go for frequent checkups. Recurrences caught early can generally be handled easily in the doctor's office without pain or surgery. Let it go and you could end up right back where you started. If your warts keep coming back, it could be that your doctor is missing the root of the infection. You might have warts inside your anus, penis or vagina that keep seeding the external skin.

Prevention:

A condom may not protect you. It does not cover the base of a man's penis, his pubic hair or scrotum (all places where the human papillomavirus lurk). Skin to skin contact is all that is necessary so rubbing during foreplay (when a condom often isn't used) can deposit the virus as can fingers or toys. Washing with soap and water after sex can help reduce your chances of infection.

Prevalence:

More than 60 percent of men without HIV and 90 percent of men with HIV who have sex with men are infected with the human papillomavirus in their anal canals. More than 24 million Americans carry HPV, and there are approximately one million new infections each year.


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