What are genital warts?
Human Papillomavirus or HPV is also known as genital warts, acuminate warts, condyloma acuminata, verruca acuminata, or venereal warts. HPV is a large family of viruses containing over 60 types. Half produce warts on fingers, hands & face that are only a nuisance. The other half causes genital warts, a few of which increase risk of cancer of the cervix (the mouth of the womb/uterus).
The virus that causes genital warts is not the same as the ones that cause common warts. You can’t get genital warts from the virus that causes common warts. HPV cause genital warts on mucous membrane of the cervix, vulva (outer female genitals), in or around the vagina or penis, on the scrotum (testicles/balls), in or around the anus/rectum, groin (where genitals meet the inner thigh), or in the eye or eyelid, nose, mouth or throat (from oral sex transmission).
Infection with HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Perhaps 50% of sexually active adults have this virus. Most infected with the HPV have no symptoms. There is no cure.
There are many things we do not know about the HPV viruses & how it gets passed around, but we do know that HVP causing common warts is not sexually transmitted. Inanimate objects, like massage tables, locker room floors & maybe even toilet seats, can pass on some types of this virus. HPV can live in skin without causing a wart, for no one knows how long, & suddenly become a wart.
We also know that HPV warts can form on any skin surface, including mucous membrane, like the penis or vagina. The types of wart that grow on mucous membrane -genital warts- usually are transmitted by sex. In rare cases transmission can happen from soiled clothes or shared sex toys. To be passed along, the type that causes genital warts needs moisture & dies quickly outside the body, so it isn’t likely to lie around on inanimate objects like the common wart virus can.
During sexual penetration, the virus can go from one body to another by a tiny tear in the skin, or the large pores of mucous membrane (like vagina or cervix). Once HPV infects the new person, it can do nothing or grow into a genital wart. The new person can spread the virus even if it hasnt caused a wart. Even condoms won’t necessarily help since HPV can be on the testicles of the male or the vulva (skin outside the vagina) of the female.
Genital warts are not always sexually transmitted. Its been found that HPV is in some people prior to sexual activity. Because HVP is the most sexually transmitted virus in the USA, Americans don’t have to have many sexual partners to become infected.
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