Genital Warts

About Genital Warts

Genital warts are growths that appear on the skin around your vagina or rectum. They may be flat and white. They may be very small and feel like a little bump on your skin. They may be very large and look and feel like a small cauliflower.

Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease. You get them from having sex with someone who has the virus that causes the warts to grow.

Yes, warts are caused by a virus. The human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes warts. Unlike the flu, once you get HPV, the virus can stay in your body even if you don't have warts that you can see.

There are over 100 kinds of HPV. Almost half of all the people in the United States have one of the types of HPV. For most people, HPV and the warts it causes are not a problem. A few kinds of HPV can be a problem for women. These kinds of HPV may cause cancer of the cervix the mouth of the womb. If you have an annual Pap test, you can find out if you have HPV. You also can find out if the kind of HPV you have can cause cancer. If you have one of the kinds of HPV that can cause cancer, your health care provider may suggest that you have more tests or treatments to get rid of any abnormal cells on your cervix. It will be very important that you get a Pap test every year if you have HPV.