HPV Infection (Genital Warts)
Facts • Symptoms • Transmission • Treatment • Partners • HPV Diseases • Prevention • Lower Risk
We offer help in diagnosing, treating and preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Our board-certified Nurse Practitioners at FamilyCare of Kent, Washington routinely counsel and treat teens, young adults and adults for HPV infections. They can help you to identify when an infection is present and to decide on the appropriate treatment.
If you think you may have HPV right now, call FamilyCare of Kent, Washington at (253) 859-CARE (2273) for an appointment. Same day appointments are usually available Monday through Friday.
The Facts
- Genital human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection.
- Genital HPV is common in both men and women in the U.S.
- There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females.
- HPV can also infect the mouth and throat.
- Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it.
- HPV is a different virus than the one which causes herpes.
- HPV is what causes cervical cancer, but most women with HPV will not develop cervical cancer.
- There is an immunization to reduce the chances a woman will develop cervical cancer and genital warts.
- Females are more likely to get HPV from a male partner than a male is to get it from a female partner.
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What are the signs, symptoms and potential health problems of HPV?
Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years.
- But sometimes, certain types of HPV can cause genital warts in males and females. Rarely, these types can also cause warts in the throat – a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or RRP.
- Other HPV types can cause cervical cancer. These types can also cause other, less common but serious cancers, including cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat).
There is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.
Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or groups of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. FamilyCare nurse practitioners can diagnose warts by looking at the genital area during an office visit. They may use acetic acid (vinegar) and magnification to determine if warts are present or not. Warts can appear within weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected partner—even if the infected partner has no signs of genital warts. If left untreated, genital warts might go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number.
Cervical cancer usually does not have symptoms until it is quite advanced. For this reason, it is important for women to get regular screening for cervical cancer. Screening tests can find early signs of disease so that problems can be treated early, before they ever turn into cancer. Initially women should have a pap smear regularly until they reach age 30 when they should have a cervical HPV test as well.
Other HPV-related cancers might not have signs or symptoms until they are advanced and hard to treat. These include cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, throat, and head and neck.
RRP causes warts to grow in the throat. In very rare instances it can block the airway, causing a hoarse voice or troubled breathing.
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How does HPV cause genital warts and cancer?
HPV can cause normal cells on infected skin to turn abnormal. Most of the time, you cannot see or feel these cell changes. In most cases, the body fights off HPV naturally and the infected cells then go back to normal. But in cases when the body does not fight off HPV, HPV can cause visible changes in the form of genital warts or cancer. Warts can appear within weeks or months after getting HPV. Cancer often takes years to develop after getting HPV.
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How does someone get HPV?
- HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners—even when the infected partner has no signs or symptoms.
- A person can have HPV even if years have passed since he or she had sexual contact with an infected person. Most infected persons do not realize they are infected or that they are passing the virus on to a sex partner. It is also possible to get more than one type of HPV.
- Very rarely, a pregnant woman with genital HPV can pass HPV to her baby during delivery. In these cases, the child can develop RRP.
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Can HPV be treated?
Yes, there are treatments for the diseases caused by HPV. However there is no treatment for the virus itself. Most people will clear the virus from their system within 2 years of their initial infection.
Visible genital warts
- Medication can be applied to external warts by the patient or by a health care provider.
- Warts can be destroyed by freezing. At FamilyCare we apply topical (no shots) anesthesia before treatment to minimize the discomfort from freezing.
- Some people choose not to treat warts, but to see if they disappear on their own.
Cervical cancer
- Most treatable when it is diagnosed and treated early. Most abnormal Pap tests are not a cancer but are precancerous changes which can be treated more easily than cervical cancer.
- Women who get routine Pap tests (and HPV tests after age 30) and follow-up as needed can identify problems before cancer develops.
- Abnormal Pap tests should always be followed up on.
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If I have HPV, what does that mean for my partner?
- Your partner may have also be infected by HPV.
- While not perfect, using a condom may help to reduce the chance of spreading an infection.
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How common are HPV and related diseases?
HPV (the virus). Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.
Genital warts. About 1% of sexually active adults in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.
Cervical cancer. Each year, about 12,000 women get cervical cancer in the U.S.
Other cancers that can be caused by HPV are less common than cervical cancer. Each year in the U.S., there are about:
- 3,700 women who get vulvar cancer
- 1,000 women who get vaginal cancer
- 1,000 men who get penile cancer
- 2,700 women and 1,700 men who get anal cancer
- 2,300 women and 9,000 men who get head and neck cancers. [Note: although HPV is associated with some of head and neck cancers, most of these cancers are related to smoking and heavy drinking.]
Certain populations are at higher risk for some HPV-related health problems. This includes gay and bisexual men, and people with weak immune systems (including those who have HIV/AIDS).
RRP is very rare. It is estimated that less than 2,000 children get RRP every year in the U.S.
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How can I prevent HPV?
There are several ways that people can lower their chances of getting HPV:
- Vaccines can protect males and females against some of the most common types of HPV. These vaccines are given in three shots. It is important to get all three doses to get the best protection. The vaccines are most effective when given before a person's first sexual contact, when he or she could be exposed to HPV.
- Girls and women: Two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) are available to protect females against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. One of these vaccines (Gardasil) also protects against most genital warts. Both vaccines are recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls, and for females 13 through 26 years of age, who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. These vaccines can also be given to girls as young as 9 years of age. It is recommended that females get the same vaccine brand for all three doses, whenever possible.
- Boys and men: One available vaccine (Gardasil) protects males against most genital warts. This vaccine is available for boys and men, 9 through 26 years of age. (Approved in 2009.)
- For those who choose to be sexually active, condoms may lower the risk of HPV. To be most effective, they should be used with every sex act, from start to finish. Condoms may also lower the risk of developing HPV-related diseases, such as genital warts and cervical cancer. But HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom – so condoms may not fully protect against HPV.
- People can also lower their chances of getting HPV by being in a faithful relationship with one partner; limiting their number of sex partners; and choosing a partner who has had no or few prior sex partners. But even people with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV. And it may not be possible to determine if a partner who has been sexually active in the past is currently infected.
- Washing the genitals, urinating, or douching after sex will not prevent any sexually transmitted disease (STD).
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How can I lower my risk for HPV related diseases?
There are ways to prevent the possible health effects of HPV, including the two most common problems: genital warts and cervical cancer.
- Preventing Genital Warts: A vaccine (Gardasil) is available to protect against most genital warts in males and females.
- Preventing Cervical Cancer: There are two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) that can protect women against most cervical cancers. Cervical cancer can also be prevented with routine cervical cancer screening and follow-up of abnormal results. The Pap test can find abnormal cells on the cervix so that they can be removed before cancer develops. An HPV DNA test, which can find HPV on a woman's cervix, should also be used with a Pap test starting at age 30. Even women who received the vaccine when they were younger need regular cervical cancer screening because the vaccine does not protect against all cervical cancers.
- Preventing Anal and Penile Cancers: There is no approved screening test to find early signs of penile or anal cancer. Some experts recommend yearly anal Pap tests to screen for anal cancer in gay and bisexual men and in HIV-positive persons.
- Preventing Head and Neck Cancers: There is no approved test to find early signs of head and neck cancer, but tests are available by specialized providers for persons with possible symptoms of these cancers.
- Preventing RRP: Cesarean delivery is not recommended for women with genital warts to prevent RRP in their babies. This is because it is not clear that cesarean delivery prevents RRP in infants and children.
Always see a health care provider if your partner is being treated for HPV. Also see the provider if you or your sex partner notice any symptoms, such as an unusual growth, sore or change in appearance of your genitals.
If you have HPV, you should be tested for other STDs. Be sure to tell your recent sex partners, so they can get tested too. Talk openly and honestly with your partner about genital warts and other STDs.
Our nurse practitioners will counsel you about which treatment options may be best for your personal needs. They will also help you protect yourself from potentially life-threatening STDs and unwanted pregnancy.
The NPs at FamilyCare of Kent deliver the highest quality of care. They are board-certified family nurse practitioners with over 70 years’ combined experience and thousands of happy patients. They include nationally recognized clinicians, teachers and speakers, including those who sit on the editorial boards of professional journals and who serve on the clinical faculty at the University of Washington.
You will appreciate their caring, compassion, integrity and honesty. They will appreciate and welcome your referrals.
For more information about confidential herpes or STD treatment and diagnosis options or to schedule an appointment, call FamilyCare of Kent, Washington at (253) 859-CARE (2273) or use our online appointment request form.
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Content adapted from material provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.