Contraception Education: Downloads

"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." Source: Health Protection Agency 2008

Most HPV infections have no signs or symptoms. So someone can be infected and pass the disease on to another person without knowing.

People often don't have any symptoms from genital warts — the warts usually do not hurt or itch, which is one reason why people may not know they have them. Doctors can diagnose warts by examining the skin closely (sometimes with a magnifying glass) and using a special solution to make them easier to see. A smear a test and other tests can help diagnose an HPV infection.

Experts believe that when a wart is present, the virus is active and more likely to be contagious. When the wart disappears, the virus is still there but may be less likely to spread.

A person who has been exposed to genital warts may have warts appear any time from several weeks to several months after exposure. Sometimes warts can take even longer to appear; the virus can live in the body for a very long time without causing any symptoms. Because many people who are infected with HPV don't show any symptoms, it's important to get regular checkups if you are sexually active and do not know your partner's/partners' sexual history.

Sometimes, if left untreated, genital warts may grow bigger and multiply. Often, they go away on their own without treatment — but this doesn't mean people can ignore genital warts.

Some strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, without them ever having "warts".

Since HPV can have such serious consequences, girls who have had sex, and who do not know their partners sexual history should seek a test for HPV with a smear.

One way to prevent genital warts is not to have sex. Teens who do have sex can get some protection by properly using a latex condom every time they have any form of sexual intercourse (vaginal, oral, or anal sex). Condoms may not give complete protection because the virus can spread from the areas of the genitals not covered by the condom. Condoms also reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted infections as well as pregnancy.

There is now a vaccine that protects against some of the strains of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. This is offered in UK schools to teenage girls.

Treatment

There is no cure that will get rid of the HPV virus completely. But treatments can reduce the number of warts — or help them go away faster. When the warts disappear, the HPV virus is still there, though it may not spread as easily. If you are having sex, think you may have genital warts, or if you have had a partner who may have genital warts, you need to seek advice from a sexual health clinic. If the warts are not obviously visible, doctors can detect the presence of HPV in girls through a smear. Doctors can examine a man to see if he has warts.

Your doctor will do an examination, make a diagnosis, and then provide treatment, if necessary. There are a number of different treatments, some you can use yourself at home. Depending on where the warts are located, how big they are, and how many there are, your doctor can treat them in several ways. Some genital warts can be treated by putting special medications on them. If warts are large, the doctor may carefully "freeze" them off by using a chemical or laser treatment to remove them.

Because HPV lives in the skin, warts can come back. So you may need to visit the doctor again. Anyone with whom you've had sex also should be checked for genital warts.

Not all bumps on a person's genitals are warts. Some can be pimples, some can be other types of infections or growths. An examination by a doctor can help determine what a bump is.

Finalist in British Female Inventor of the Year April 2003

Finalist in National Business Awards Entrepreneur Category 2003

A BFIY's Top 10 Woman Inventor and Innovator 2005

Finalist in 2005 E-Commerce ICT Innovators Awards- Health Category (DTI Interforum)

Winner of 2006 Exceptional Exporter Award (UKTI, Chamberlink, Salford City Council)

RESOURCES:Genital Warts and HPV

Treatment