Genital warts are very common, in fact chances are you know someone who has the disease. One in just over 200 people has the disease, which means that many, many people have it, and unfortunately a lot of people don’t even know it. This is unfortunate because there are a lot of effects of genital warts that can range from uncomfortable to down right dangerous. If you know that you have genital warts you need to be sure to have your warts removed when you discover them, and women need to be sure to have annual pap smears.

Common Effects of Genital Warts

Many people have genital warts and other than a few warts here and there they never have a problem with them. Other people have them removed and develop secondary infections from the removal site. Yet, there are some more serious complications or effects of genital warts that you should be aware of.

One of the most common effects of genital warts is that it can cause cancer. Genital warts are most commonly associated with cervical cancer, and this is why pap smears are so important for women. If you know that you have genital warts your doctor may suggest that you have pap smears every six months so that if anything develops it can be caught immediately.

Other effects of genital warts may be cancer of the vulva, anus, and penis. It’s important to remember that genital warts does not always lead to cancer, but it has been linked to genital warts in case after case. For this reason, you should be aware that your risk for cancer of this region of your body is slightly higher than it would be otherwise.

Genital warts can also cause problems if you develop them around the anus or urethra, as it can make it difficult to defecate or urinate. It can also be dangerous to have genital warts when you are pregnant as the warts usually grow more quickly during this time and the baby also has a chance of developing the disease in the throat, which can be life threatening.

There is also a chance when you have genital warts removed that they will leave scars on the area. This is not common, but it is not unheard of, either. Whether or not you suffer scars from removal will depend on your body’s natural healing process, the location of the warts, and the size of the warts.