Before treating genital warts one needs to identify them clearly. They are small flesh colored or grey bumps or cauliflower shaped bumps in the genital, vaginal, anus or urethra area of both men and women. Sometimes they occur in the mouth due to oral sex with an infected partner. It is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spread of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

The warts are highly contagious and so care should be taken to avoid touching them. As the virus continues to live in the human body even after treatment it is best to avoid infection by using a condom. Even if you are infected try to avoid infecting others with the virus.

Genital warts respond to a variety of treatments. Your doctor is the best person to prescribe a particular course of treatment for you as he knows best how to treat genital warts. Treatments for genital warts include freezing (cryosurgery), burning (electrocautery), or laser treatment, apart from injections or genital wart cream. If the warts are too large or do not respond to other treatment, surgery is an option to remove them. It is important to remember that the infection persists and can cause complications even after the warts are removed or they do not appear.

There are a few vaccines against genital warts in particular and HPV in general. However, the best form of defense is to use condoms and refrain from sexual activity when the virus is present or until treatment is completed. Genital warts might not respond to treatment or recur after treatment as the virus can persist in the hair follicles or in deep lesions in the area.

There is a 60 per cent chance of getting infected with genital warts from a single sexual encounter. So care must always be taken to prevent its spread. The warts can occur up to three months after sexual contact with an infected partner.

Care must be taken to ensure that the warts are not squeezed as this can spread the infection. It is wise to remember that genital warts are highly contagious.

Some of the creams recommended for genital warts cannot be used by pregnant women as it can affect the baby. Pregnant women should also take care to get treatment for their warts as the baby can get infected during the process of birth. This can lead to a potentially life threatening infection for the baby in some cases. So, please do consult your doctor if you are pregnant and suffer from genital warts.

Women with genital warts have a greater risk of suffering from cervical cancer. So they should get themselves tested for this with a pap smear test.

Like many of the other sexually transmitted diseases, HPV or genital warts infection too need not show any symptoms. Yet, there is a high chance of passing on the infection. Moreover, the infection can lead to complications and a difficult prognosis.

Some doctors inject an anti viral drug, interferon, directly into the wart. This is an expensive mode of treatment and still does not guarantee that the genital warts will not recur.

Care should be taken to avoid trauma to the genital wart as bleeding can occur due to trauma. One should also complete the treatment as outlined by the doctor.

Even if you decide to use creams to cure your genital warts, it is best to consult a doctor about them. This is because these creams can leave your genital area sore. If left untreated genital warts can spread and both infect your sexual partner and can cause cancer of the cervix in women and cancer of the penis in men. In any case it is best to consult a doctor and get yourself treated for the symptoms of genital warts.

In women the warts can occur were it is not possible to see them, that is inside the cervix. In some cases the infected person does not develop genital warts though they continue to harbor the virus. The incubation period for the virus can also be long. So a visual examination of your sexual partner is no guarantee that they are not infected by the virus. Condoms offer some amount of protection, though not complete protection.