Genital warts (sometimes called anogenital warts) are a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Although there are over a hundred different types of HPV, most genital warts are caused by HPV 6 and HPV 11.
Genital warts may sometimes disappear on their own without treatment, but can often persist for months or even years. They may sometimes reappear after they seem to have gone on their own or after treatment.
HPV is easily passed from one person to another through skin-to-skin genital contact. This doesn’t need to be penetrative sex (vaginal, anal or oral sex), but could be close genital contact.
If you have genital warts, some symptoms you may notice are:
There is no routine test available for HPV. Genital warts can be diagnosed at one of our nurse-led sexual health clinics by the nurse looking at your skin.
All of our services are free and confidential.
The most common treatment is a cream or lotion that you put on the warts a few times a week at home. These treatments may take weeks or months to work.
Other options include freezing or burning the warts with a special solution applied by a nurse or doctor at a sexual health clinic.
Once the warts have gone, there is a chance they may come back and need further treatment.
There is now a vaccine which protects against getting the most common types of HPV. This is now usually given to all girls aged 12 – 13 at school and there is a catch-up programme for all girls up to the age of 18. Boys are not routinely vaccinated for HPV.
There is currently a Public Health England (PHE) vaccination scheme for men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45.
We can offer this vaccination to men who are eligible through our nurse-led sexual health clinics.
You can view PHE’s information leaflet on this vaccination here.
If you are diagnosed with genital warts, you should advise your partner(s) to come for a sexual health check-up too.
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