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Genital Warts are the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is caused by a virus called the Human Papilloma Virus also called HPV. The virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted by sexual contact. Due to its nature, the virus can also be transmitted by unclean hands. This makes you very vulnerable to the infection if you have sexual contact with people in the high risk category.

You have a higher risk of contracting genital warts , if you have sexual relations with a person's whose sexual history you don't know. The risk is also higher if you do not know whether the person has had a sexually transmitted disease or if your partner is also unaware of the same. Another risk factor is having multiple sexual partners. Becoming sexually active at a younger age also increases the risk of contracting genital warts significantly.

Genital warts may not even have symptoms. After sexual contact with an infected person, the condition takes around 3 months to start showing symptoms. The infection may remain dormant for a long time, flaring up only during conditions like pregnancy. You must get yourself tested if you have any of the risk factors mentioned above or if your sexual partner has been diagnosed with the infection.

Symptoms of genital warts usually include warts in the genital area. These may be fleshy masses or grey colored bumps. if transmission occurs by hands the warts may be present in the areas surrounding the genitals as well. they may also be present on the mouth and in the throat. The warts are usually seen on the tip and shaft of the penis in males. They might extend to the scrotum and the anus also. In females, the warts are seen on the external genitalia, in the vagina and the area between the vulva and anus.

The warts are usually accompanied by itching and irritation of the moist genital skin. They may also bleed during sexual intercourse due to erosion of the wart tissue. If you are pregnant , you must get checked for genital warts as this may have an adverse effect on your baby. The warts can be treated but not completely cured. this is because the virus which causes the warts infects the upper layers of the genital skin and it is hard to eliminate the virus from there.

The treatment for genital warts must be done under the guidance of a qualified medical practitioner only. Do not attempt to use over the counter medication which can lead to more irritation of the sensitive genital areas. You can use locally active creams for this purpose. the creams have to be applied to the warts and will make the warts slough off leaving healing skin in its place. The use of such creams needs some precautions and you must consult your health care provider for the treatment that is best for you.

In case you are pregnant, or have large, stubborn warts which do not respond to treatment, you might be advised to go in for surgery. there are many surgical options for genital warts. These include cryotherapy, surgical excision and laser surgery.