There is a lot of information available about how genital warts affect women and this is because the warts are known to cause cervical cancer in women. This fact has a lot of people forgetting that genital warts in men can be serious, too. Genital warts is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, as well as other countries. The disease is highly contagious and many people who are spreading it don’t even know they have it.

More on Genital Warts in Men

It’s thought that at any given time, at least one percent of men have genital warts. This does not account for the people who have the disease and are not symptomatic but those that actually have active warts. This is a lot of people when you really stop to think about how many men are alive!

The reason that genital warts in men cannot simply be glossed over is because the disease can cause health problems for men as well as women. Many men never develop any symptoms when they are infected but many men will develop genital warts. Genital warts can appear on the penis, the scrotum, and the anus. In addition, genital warts can appear in the urethra and actually block the flow of urine. There are cases in which genital warts in men have been linked to penile and anal cancers.

Of course, penile cancer is very rare, but that doesn’t mean that you can simply ignore your genital warts. Penile cancer affects one in 100,000 men, but that doesn’t mean that one cannot be you. Anal cancer is also rare, but it is even rarer in those that do not have genital warts. About 1,900 cases of anal cancer are diagnosed in the United States alone.

Some men are more likely than others to develop genital warts, also known as HPV. Gay and bisexual men are 17 times more likely to develop genital warts than other men. Men with weak immune systems are also more likely to contract the disease and develop genital warts and associated illnesses, such as cancer.

Common signs and symptoms of genital warts in men and women include:

• Small flesh or gray colored swellings or bumps in your genital region
• A grouping of warts anywhere on your body that have a cauliflower like appearance
• Any itching or discomfort in your genital region
• Bleeding during or after intercourse

If you have any of these symptoms you should consult your doctor for further information. He or she will be able to give you a firm diagnosis as well as present you with treatment options. If you’re interested in how genital warts look in men, please navigate here to the front page and in the middle of this page you will see some pictures of those.