HPV Genital Warts

Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus; (HPV) genital warts are the most common recognized symptom of the sexually transmitted disease (STD).

There are about 20 million cases of HPV in the United States, with approximately 6 million newly reported cases per year. The Center for Disease Control estimates that the number is much larger than 6 million. There are men and women that are infected with HPV, that don’t have any signs or symptoms of the disease therefore they are infecting each one of their new sexual partners with the disease.

Genital warts will appear within weeks or months, after a person has become infected with HPV or they may not have any symptoms for up to 5 years. Warts will be soft to the touch flesh colored and appear in the genital area. Some warts will at times appear flat and others will resemble a raised bump or a cluster of cauliflower.

Men’s genital warts outbreak will appear on the tip and shaft of the penis and around the scrotum and anus, the warts may also appear on a man’s thigh or groin as well.

Women will have outbreaks that occur on the vulva and the cervix, surrounding the inside of the vagina and the anus.

There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV), most are harmless or low-risk such as type 6 and 11, over 30 types including 16 and 18 are spread through sexual contact these types of HPV are considered high-risk.

Men that have a yearly test for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) that are sexually active with more than one partner may help to determine if they are infected with HPV genital warts or if cancer is present.

Women with multiple partners should have a (Pap test) once a year to check for HPV genital warts and cervical cancer.

When someone has been sexually active with an HPV infected person they will usually experience an outbreak within 3 months. HPV genital warts can be spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, you may also become infected through skin to skin sexual contact with someone that is infected.

While using a condom is wise there are no guarantees against becoming infected with HPV genital warts. A condom may not cover all of the infected area and there may be a flaw in the condom.