What Causes Genital Warts
How Do I Know I Have Genital Warts?
If you have genital warts, you may notice lumps or growths that were not previously present around your vagina, penis, or anus. You can, however, carry the virus responsible without developing warts.
You may develop symptoms years after coming into contact with the virus. It is impossible to know when you were exposed to HPV. Here are some symptoms of some STIs.
Warts are more likely to appear or reappear during pregnancy due to a shift in how the immune system handles the virus. Note that pregnancy reduces immunity to a certain extent.
- Genital warts grow very slowly and take weeks to months to appear after they’ve been contacted sexually
- They might get bigger with time and might spread to nearby skin when you scratch or shave
- Sometimes they disappear completely eventually or shrink. Since this is an infectious condition, it might take up to two years for the immune system to clear it. On the other hand, the infection might remain dormant (without any visible skin growths) for life.
How Do I Treat Genital Warts?
A qualified doctor or nurse must prescribe treatment for genital warts.
The type of treatment you’ll receive is determined by how severe the warts are. There are 3 main treatment options
- Cream
- Freezing it off
- Surgery
When cream or freezing fails, surgery is usually the last option
How Can I Reduce My Chances of Contacting Genital Warts?
- Wear a condom for oral, vaginal and anal sex
- Make sure your partner is free from it, you can contact genital warts even if you wear a condom
- Vaccinate yourself against the HPV virus.
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