Genital warts

Genital warts are the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). They are passed on through vaginal, anal and oral sex. But passing them on through oral sex is rare.

Treatment from a sexual health clinic can help them go away.

HSE STI services in Ireland - sexualwellbeing.ie

Symptoms of genital warts

Causes of genital warts

Genital warts are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). There are many types of HPV.

Genital warts are common in people who are immunosuppressed (weak immune system).

You can get genital warts from:

• skin-to-skin contact, including vaginal and anal sex
• sharing sex toys
• oral sex - but this is rare

You cannot get genital warts from:

• kissing
• sharing things like towels, cutlery, cups or toilet seats

Diagnosing genital warts

Contact your GP. They will probably refer you to a sexual health clinic if they think you might have genital warts.

Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service where you do not need an appointment.

What happens at a sexual health clinic

A doctor or nurse can usually diagnose warts by looking at them.

They will:

• ask you about your symptoms and sexual partners
• look closely at the lumps around your genitals and anus
• possibly need to look inside your vagina, anus or urethra (the hole where pee comes out) depending on where your warts are

It's not possible to find out who you got genital warts from or how long you've had the infection.

Treating genital warts

There's no cure for genital warts. This means that there is no medicine that you can take to get rid of them permanently.

Sometimes genital warts go away on their own without treatment, but most people prefer to get them treated.

Treatment for genital warts needs to be prescribed by a doctor. The type of treatment depends on what your warts are like.

Treatments include:

• cream or liquid - you can usually apply this to the warts yourself
• surgery - a doctor or nurse can cut, burn or laser the warts off
• freezing - a doctor or nurse can freeze the warts, usually every week for 4 weeks

It may take weeks or months for treatment to work and the warts may come back. The treatment does not work for some people.

Why genital warts come back

The HPV virus can stay in your skin and warts can develop again.

Warts may go away without treatment but this can take many months. You can still pass the virus on, and the warts may come back.

How genital warts are spread

The genital warts virus can be passed on whether or not there are visible warts.

Many people with the virus do not have symptoms but can still pass it on. If you have genital warts, your current sexual partners should get tested as they may have warts and not know it.

If symptoms do appear, it can happen over a year after infection.

Preventing the spread of genital warts

You can prevent spreading warts by:

• using a condom every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex
• not having sex while you're having treatment for genital warts

Genital warts and cancer

Genital warts are not cancerous and do not cause cancer.

The HPV vaccine is offered to children in their first year of secondary school. The vaccine protects against cervical cancer as well as genital warts.

HPV vaccination programme in schools

Genital warts and pregnancy

Tell your midwife or doctor if you're pregnant and you have genital warts or think you have genital warts.

During pregnancy, genital warts:

• can grow and multiply
• might appear for the first time, or come back after a long time
• can be treated safely, but some treatments should be avoided
• may be removed if they're very big, to avoid problems during birth
• may be passed to the baby during birth, but this is rare - the HPV virus can cause infection in the baby's throat or genitals

Most pregnant women with genital warts have a vaginal delivery. You might be offered a caesarean depending on your circumstances.

Caesarean birth