Genital warts is a very common disease. There are estimates that suggest that as many as 500,000 to 5.5 million new cases of the disease are being diagnosed and spread each year. This is an astounding number of people who are being infected and affected by the same disease, which means an unknown but large percentage of the population is living with genital warts. Genital warts are a highly contagious sexually transmitted diseased caused by the human papilloma virus. In fact, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease.

Life with Genital Warts

You can get genital warts by coming in contact with someone who is infected with them. What you should know is that not everyone who has the disease knows it, which means you could have gotten infected by someone who didn’t know that they were infected, and so on. Unfortunately, many people are living with genital warts and don’t know it! When you come in contact with someone who is infected you will generally become symptomatic within two to four months, though some people do not become symptomatic for many more months, years, or ever. 2/3 of the people who are infected will become symptomatic and start having symptoms within nine months.

The symptoms of genital warts are quite straight forward. Symptoms of genital warts 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 will want to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. Your doctor will likely want to do a physical exam to see the affected area. There is not a test that is needed to diagnose the warts, instead it is usually done on sight alone. Your doctor will be able to recommend a treatment option, which may include topical creams, acid solutions, laser removal, or even electrocautery. Your doctor will help you determine the best treatment course based on where your warts are located, how large they are, and whether they appear individually or in groups or clusters. With the right treatment options, living with genital warts does not have to be difficult. You’ll need to take some precautions, but living with genital warts and continuing to live your life the way you have always wanted to is possible.