Welcome to Genital Warts Information and Advice
Posted on December 26, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized |
Welcome to our genital warts advice and information site. We will try to give you as much information as possible on genital warts- effects, treatments, remedies, etc.
First of all we need to have a basic understanding of what genital warts are and how they are transmitted. Read on..
Genital or venereal warts (technically known as condylomata acuminatum) are a highly contagious and for the most part, sexually transmitted infection, caused by some sub-types of human papillomavirus (HPV) but are most commonly associated with two HPV types, HPV–6 and HPV–11. Genital warts are the most easily recognized sign of genital HPV infection but should not be confused with Molluscum contagiosum (MC), which is often transmitted sexually, but does not occur internally as do condylomata.
Genital warts usually appear as soft, moist, pink or flesh-colored swellings, usually around the genital and anal regions and they can affect both men and women of any age but most people with genital warts are seen between the age ranges of 17–33 years. Specifically, the highest rates of genital warts are diagnosed in women aged 16 to 19 and men aged 20 to 24, although sexually active people of any age can be infected.
Genital warts may be as small as 1 millimeter in diameter — smaller than the width of a ballpoint pen refill — or they can multiply into large clusters. They tend to have a propensity for the penile glans and shaft in men and for the vulvovaginal and cervical areas in women. The warts can be so flat that they are invisible to the naked eye, but they usually make themselves felt through an itchy or burning sensation although many people who carry the virus that causes them have no physical symptoms at all.
Genital warts aren’t life threatening, but they can be life altering. They can also have an emotional effect on people, causing them to feel uncomfortable in new or existing relationships but if you are sexually active, having sex only with a partner who doesn’t have HPV and only has sex with you will lower your risk of getting genital warts.
Genital warts are transmitted through sexual contact (anal, oral, and vaginal) with an infected person and is one of the most common types of sexually transmitted diseases (in the United States, the annual incidence of genital warts is 1%). Genital warts do not have to be present to pass the virus to your partner. The warts can appear within several weeks or months after the contact and can also, in rare cases, develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sexual contact with an infected person. On average, you have a 60% risk of getting the infection in a single sexual contact with someone who has genital warts but some people only ever get one episode of genital warts.
More than 30 types of HPV cause genital warts but they often grow more rapidly during pregnancy or when a person’s immune system is weakened by diabetes, HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, Hodgkin’s disease or taking anti-rejection drugs after an organ transplant. Smoking, oral contraceptives, multiple sex partners, and early coital age are also risk factors for acquiring genital warts.
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