If you are pregnant and have genital warts, you are
probably very concerned about what effect this will
have on your baby. Obviously genital warts and pregnancy
together is not an ideal situation and you will be
wondering if you can pass on this very common and
contagious sexually transmitted disease to him or
her. Unfortunately there is no cure
for genital warts or the human papilloma virus
(HPV) that causes genital warts, but the good news
is that even when pregnancy and genital warts go hand
in hand, it is possible to treat those genital warts
and the baby is then only exposed to the least possible
risk.
Genital Warts and the baby
If not treated, genital warts may cause a number
of problems during pregnancy:
o Sometimes genital warts get larger during pregnancy,
making it difficult for the mother-to-be to urinate.
o If tthey are specifically the vaginal
genital warts variety, they can cause the vagina
to become less elastic and possibly cause an obstruction
during the actual delivery of your baby. There is
also the risk that such warts begin to bleed during
the birth. A C-section would be necessary.
o If your baby becomes infected with the HPV
virus, he or she may also develop genital warts.
The virus can even remain dormant in a child for up
to 3 years after birth.
o In rare cases, babies born to women with genital
warts develop warts in their throats. Although this
is very uncommon, it is a potentially dangerous condition
for a baby who would require frequent laser surgery
to prevent obstruction of his or her breathing passages.
While the majority of pregnant women with a past
history of HPV and genital warts have healthy pregnancies
and deliveries, you will see that it is vital that
genital warts are treated as soon as possible as pregnancy
and genital warts are a risky combination.
What causes genital warts?
Warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in
the HPV family of which there are more 100 different
strains. Of these, some 30 strains are responsible
for the appearance
of genital warts which can occur on the genital
and rectal area. In women, genital warts can even
grow on the cervix (inside the vagina) so that you
are unaware of their existence. Some people are more
naturally resistant to the HPV viruses and don’t
seem to get warts as easily as others. The big problem
is that genital warts are very contagious and can
be passed from one person to another during oral,
vaginal or anal sex and even just by skin to skin
contact when there are warts present.
How can genital warts in pregnancy be treated?
When there is pregnancy and genital warts together,
it is very important to treat the genital warts. Your
doctor or midwife will be well aware of the importance
of such treatment and will advise you accordingly.
There are some treatments which can be used by pregnant
women in their home particularly in the early stages
of pregnancy and these are:
o Imiquimod (available on prescription) which is
a topical cream that can be applied to external genital
warts and works by boosting your immune system thereby
helping your body to fight the HPV virus.
o A natural healing product used as a genital warts
treatment (available on the internet). You need to
check before purchasing that the particular product
you use is safe for pregnant and nursing mothers.
An over the counter genital warts treatment is not
suitable for pregnant women because strong chemicals
are used which can be absorbed by your skin and possibly
lead to birth defects in your baby.
Treatments which will be done by the doctor
in his rooms include:
o Trichloro-acetic acid (TCA) or Bichloro-acetic
acid (BCA) repeated weekly until the warts have gone.
o Cryotherapy where the warts are frozen by liquid
nitrogen and which can be used for both internal and
external warts. A local anesthetic may be needed for
the pain.
o Electrocautery where the wart tissue is destroyed
with heat from an electric current.
o Laser surgery – which would be used in the
case of internal genital warts or if a very large
area was affected by the genital warts. Anesthesia
or an epidural would be required.
Your doctor will be sympathetic and helpful regarding
your pregnancy and genital warts, so let him guide
you at this difficult time.
Go
to our Genital Warts Treatment page
