Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted
disease and like many other STDs, often does not have
any signs and symptoms that you are able to see or
feel. Medical studies reveal that almost half of women
infected with HPV have no obvious HPV symptoms while
an even higher proportion of men are not aware that
they are carrying the virus because there are no signs
and symptoms of HPV and it is not possible to test
for HPV in men.
However, where genital
warts symptoms are present, they will be as follows:
1. In women, genital warts are the main symptom of
HPV and they can occur as follows:
o On the outside and the inside of the vagina.
o On the opening (the cervix) to the womb (the uterus).
o On the area around or even inside the anus.
o Genital warts can also develop in the mouth following
oral sexual contact with an infected person.
o Where there are no visible warts, there may still
be itching and pain in the genital areas.
o There is always a concern in women about being infected
with certain types of HPV to which cells on the cervix
are vulnerable. When this happens, the cells of the
cervix can be transformed by the virus into pre-cancerous
cells over time. A Pap smear is a procedure where
such changes can be picked up. Although usually the
progress to actual cancer can take several years,
in some women it can happen in less than a year.
2. For male
genital warts, though less common, are also the
main HPV symptom and they can occur as follows as
genital
warts on the penis.
o On the tip of the penis
o On the shaft of the penis.
o On the scrotum.
o On the area around or even inside the anus.
o Again, genital warts can also develop in the mouth
following oral sexual contact with an infected person.
o Even in the absence of genital warts, the HPV virus
can cause chronic itching or pain or a burning sensation
in the area of the genital openings, which can be
aggravated by intercourse or touching.
If you have these symptoms of human papilloma virus,
you should be examined and treated
for HPV
Genital warts often occur in groups and can be very
tiny or can accumulate into large masses on the genital
tissue. They can be rough or smooth surfaced and are
typically flesh colored. Left untreated, those symptoms
of HPV genital warts may disappear but on the other
hand they can grow and multiply so that eventually
they develop a fleshy, small raised growth that looks
like cauliflower. Unfortunately, there is no way to
predict whether the warts will grow or whether they
will disappear.
HPV symptoms in pregnancy
When you are pregnant, you have lots of care and
attention from your doctor or midwife and sometimes
they may discover the presence of female
genital warts during an examination. While the
majority of pregnant women with genital warts or even
a part history of HPV have healthy pregnancies and
deliveries, it is vital that genital warts are treated
as soon as possible as pregnancy and HPV genital warts
can be a risky combination. The baby is then only
exposed to the least possible risk.
Go
to our Genital Warts Treatment page
