Genital Warts

Genital warts are fleshy growths that appear around the genitals or anus. They can affect both men and women. Genital warts are incredibly common, although diagnoses are falling in Australia.

The warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 different types of HPV, with around 40 affecting the genital area. You can carry the virus and it remains "dormant" without having any visible warts or other symptoms.

Genital warts infection rates are decreasing thanks to the introduction of the HPV vaccine.

• The proportion of women under 21 years of age diagnosed with genital warts fell from 12.1% in 2007 to 1% in 2012.
• Among men under 21 years of age, the rate fell from 12% in 2007 to 1.5% in 2012.
• In Australia up to 80% of people will be exposed to at least one kind of genital HPV at some point in their lives.

Many people that are exposed to HPV will not notice any visible warts. You may not know whether you or your partner has the virus unless you get a test. If warts do appear it can happen weeks, months or years after infection. You could notice fleshy growths or bumps anywhere on your genital or anal area.

• Women may find warts on the vulva, cervix, upper thighs, in the vagina, or on the anus.
• Men may find warts on the penis, scrotum, urethra, upper thighs or on the anus.

You might see or feel warts, or your partner could notice them. However, in some cases, the warts are so small that it can be hard to spot them. Warts can be flat, smooth bumps or large lumps. They can be alone or in groups. In general, they are painless but sometimes they can be itchy or cause inflammation. In some cases, genital warts may cause bleeding from the anus or urethra.

If you don't get treatment the infection may spread or it may go away by itself.

Genital warts are transmitted through sexual contact. It can spread via skin-to-skin contact, so penetrative sex is not necessary for infection to occur.

It is spread by vaginal and anal sex as well as close genital contact. The virus cannot pass through a condom, but you can still transmit the infection to or from areas that are not covered by condoms.

Transmission rates are highest when visible warts are present. However, it is possible to transmit the infection when there are no visible symptoms.

In rare cases warts may appear in the mouth, throat or lips after oral sex. Warts that are present in the genital area can spread to the anus even if you don't have anal sex.

If you think you have genital warts you should make an appointment with your doctor or visit a sexual health clinic. There is no need to be embarrassed about seeing a medical professional for sexual health issues.

• You should have a check-up if you have unprotected sex with a new or casual sexual partner, or unprotected sex with a partner that you think may have had other sexual partners.
• If a sexual partner is diagnosed with genital warts you should have an STI check-up. A nurse or doctor will take a look at your genital area to check for warts.
• They may also make an internal examination of the vagina or anus to check for warts. In very rare cases a sample will be taken of a wart for analysis.
• New tests are capable of looking for certain types of HPV, but they are not generally used to test for genital warts. There is currently no blood test available for genital warts.
• Your medical team will not tell anyone else about your results, which will remain confidential.

Girls aged 12-13 years are now offered a vaccine against HPV. It protects against infections from HPV 6 and 11 (the strain that causes genital warts) and HPV 16 and 18 (the strain that causes cancer).

If you have visible warts you will be given treatment. There are various treatment options available and your doctor will recommend the best one based on what the warts are like, how many there are and where they are.

You can get rid of warts by:

• Applying cream or liquid to the warts for a few days each week for a few weeks
• Freezing (cryotherapy)
• Heat (electrocautery)
• Surgery
• Laser treatment

Certain types of treatment can cause skin irritation. You may be asked to apply creams or liquids at home by yourself. Always use the medication exactly as prescribed.

• Do not have sex during this time because you could infect your partner.

It is hard to know whether someone has genital warts but doesn't have any symptoms. You could even have genital warts yourself without knowing it. The best advice is to use a condom.

• Use a condom or another barrier protection method to cut the risk of infection. Female condoms and dams are two alternative methods. Use dams during oral sex to prevent the transmission of STIs.
• You can also limit your risk of exposure by reducing your number of sexual partners, or avoid partners that may have multiple sexual partners themselves.

It's important to note that genital warts are passed through skin contact and not necessary penetrative sex. This means that even if you wear barrier contraception if the wart makes contact with your skin, there's a high chance you've contracted the virus. If you notice a wart on your partner or have a bout of warts appear, the best way to avoid the STI is to not have sex until the outbreak has passed. Like any virus, you can still contract genital warts if there are no symptoms present.

Sexual health is incredibly important and should be a priority. Make sure you protect yourself during sex, get regular tests and tell your partners if you do develop an STI. By taking responsibility for your sexual health you can help to cut infection rates and prevent the spread of STIs such as genital warts.