Posts Tagged ‘Genital Warts’
Genital Warts – 7 Established Facts About Genital Warts
Here are seven established facts about genital warts.1. Genital warts are highly contagious.
Genital warts spread easily from one person to another through sexual intercourse. Human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for genital warts, is able to penetrate one’s skin and mucosal surfaces through the tiny abrasions in the genital area that develop during sexual intercourse.2. Genital warts are incurable.
Once you catch HPV, you can never eliminate it from your body. You can treat it and remove the genital warts, but it remains dormant in your system. Thus, genital warts can show up again.3. Genital warts may resurface.
HPV can lie dormant in your body. It can resurface when triggered by risk factors like smoking, stress, excessive consumption of alcohol, immune system deficiencies, and lifestyle changes, among others. In fact, a lot of people are not aware that they have HPV in their system. Many men do have genital warts on their penis and remain unaware of their presence since they may be very tiny and hidden. A lot of women also have genital warts but remain oblivious because they occur internally in many cases. Only 10 percent of genital warts are noticeable.4. Genital warts can be treated and get rid of.
There are different therapy options for genital warts removal depending on their size and location. If you consult your doctor, he or she may advise you to apply a topical medication or undergo electrocautery (burning), cryosurgery (freezing), or laser treatment. Some people also attest to the efficacy of herbal preparation in getting rid of genital warts.5. Genital warts cannot spread from your genitals to other parts of your body and vice versa.
There are at least 150 types of HPV. The strains that are responsible for genital warts occur only in the genital region. They spread through direct contact with the skin of an infected partner through vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse. Infection may happen through contact with a visible genital wart or through subclinical infection, meaning contact with an area of the skin with no visible genital wart. Following sexual intercourse with an infected person, genital warts may take a few weeks to several years to manifest.6. You can do something to prevent further development of genital warts.
Many studies have proven that having a healthy immune system helps a lot in preventing the outbreak of genital warts. For those who have had genital warts, physicians require specific supplements that boost the immune system like selenium, green tea extract, bioflavins, and grape seed extract.7. Genital warts may cause cervical cancer.
Approximately 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer are caused by types 16 and 18 of HPV. HPV causes the outer layer of normal cells of the cervical transformation zone (TZ) to be replaced by cancer cells. Such a change is only detected in the early stages through a Pap smear. In fact, 90 percent of deaths arising from cervical cancer could have been prevented through early detection. Hence, it is imperative that all women who are sexually active have regular Pap smears.
How to Deal With a Genital Warts Infection During Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant and have genital warts you should really talk with your doctor for the best possible medical advice. Some medications won’t be suitable for use while you’re pregnant, and alternatives should be discussed. Genital warts can also become aggravated during pregnancy, and in some cases can cause problems during childbirth. There is also a chance for vaginal bleeding to occur as well due to these warts.
Additionally, you should also be aware that if you have genital warts, there’s a chance that during childbirth, the genital HPV infection might be passed on to your newborn baby. In some cases this won’t amount to anything, but in a few rare cases the baby might develop this strain of warts in the throat area. This is called laryngeal pappiloma.
The genital warts infection won’t necessarily show up immediately and can manifest itself as much as three years on from time of infection. Treatment is available to help cure the genital warts and to relieve any discomfort your baby might suffer, but the treatment might need to be frequent
Genital warts can appear during pregnancy if you are already infected. Warts can become larger and increase with pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding may occur. If the genital warts are in the vagina, cervix or vulva you might find that a normal delivery is difficult. However, cesarean delivers aren’t necessarily recommend for pregnant women who have genital warts. Genital warts in the birth canal can also lead to your newborn baby becoming infected with HPV.
In these cases, which are very rare, the warts will tend to develop in and around the throat area. Treatment will need to be sought to clear these. The presence of genital warts in the vagina or in and around the urethra can make urinating difficult, especially as the warts may tend to increase in size.
