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Summary
Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They are flesh-colored and can be flat or look bumpy like cauliflower. Some genital warts are so small you cannot see them. In women, the warts usually occur in or around the vagina, on the cervix, or around the anus. In men, genital warts are less common. They may have warts on the tip of the penis, around the anus, or on the scrotum, thigh, or groin.
You can get genital warts during oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected partner. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading HPV. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms. The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have anal, vaginal, or oral sex. HPV vaccines may help prevent some of the HPV infections that cause genital warts.
Your health care provider usually diagnoses genital warts by seeing them. The warts might disappear on their own. If not, your health care provider can treat or remove them. HPV stays in your body even after treatment, so warts can come back.
Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
Prevention and Risk Factors
- HPV Vaccine (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Vaccinating Boys and Girls (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
- Anal Warts (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Images
- Genital Wart (Condyloma Acuminatum) (Logical Images)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Condylomata Acuminata
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Risk factors of HIV infection among female entertainment workers in Cambodia:...
- Article: Time-trend of hospitalizations for anogenital warts in Veneto region in the...
- Article: Challenge of reflectance confocal microscopy in the diagnosis of genital warts.
- Genital Warts -- see more articles
Teenagers
- Genital Warts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Genital Warts (HPV) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Condom Fact Sheet in Brief (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Genital warts (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.