Genital warts
Genital and anal warts are a common infection caused by several types of the virus HPV (human papillomavirus). HPV lives in the skin of an infected person. These warts are different to the ones people get on their hands.
Symptoms
Many people with the virus do not have symptoms but weeks or months after infection one or more very small growths the size of a pin head can appear on or in a man’s:
- penis
- anus
Left untreated a wart can grow bigger and, especially with anal warts, possibly itch or bleed.
How it is transmitted
Warts are usually passed on during intimate contact with another person’s warts during sex. Sometimes infection can happen when the other person has the virus but no warts on their skin.
What can I do if I think I have genital warts?
You can go to a free and confidential NHS sexual health clinic. You can go to any, not just the nearest. Your local or family doctor (GP) might also test and treat for STIs – if not, they will refer you to a clinic. You can read more about clinics and find your nearest one here.
By law sexual health clinics cannot tell anyone about your visit. But if you are referred by your GP to a clinic they will send a letter to your doctor saying what tests and treatment you had; this will go on your GP records. If you don’t want this to happen it’s better to go straight to the clinic without involving your GP.
Testing
A doctor in a clinic can diagnose warts by looking at them.
Treatment
The sooner warts are treated, the easier they are to get rid of. The most common treatments are:
- freezing with liquid nitrogen
- applying a cream
- applying a mild type of acid
It might take several clinic visits before the warts go. The clinic might give you treatment to use at home. Genital warts need to be treated at a clinic and can’t be treated with treatments for hand warts bought in a chemist. Warts can come back after treatment as the virus can live in the skin for years.
Why get treated?
Except in rare cases, genital warts are harmless and will not turn into cancer. But when they are visible most people want them removed. If untreated, warts can get bigger and more can appear. You’re more likely to give the virus to others if you have visible warts.
Protecting yourself and others
If you have a current partner they should also be seen by a clinic; if they have the virus they can reinfect you after yours have been treated.
Avoiding sex while warts are still visible is recommended. Any latex barrier (condom or glove) will protect if it stops contact between healthy skin and skin with warts or the wart virus. Condoms during anal sex reduce the risk of warts being passed on but infection could still come from skin not covered by the latex.
A vaccine against HPV is now offered to girls in UK schools before they become sexually active as a small number of wart viruses cause cancer of the cervix. However, the vast majority of the types of HPV virus that cause genital warts are not those that increase the risk of genital or anal cancer. At the moment there are no plans for large scale vaccination of males.
The more sexual partners you have, the more likely you are to have sex with someone with warts or another infection. Reducing your numbers of partners, using condoms and having sexual health check-ups all lower the risk of infections being picked up or passed on. If you’re starting a relationship a sexual health check-up is a good idea, especially if you’re thinking of not using condoms.
This article was last reviewed on: 21/10/11
Date due for next review: 21/10/13
