Genital warts are contagious and they are spread during sexual activity. The virus that causes genital warts is the human papillomavirus. There are 100 types of HPV and 40 of them are spread through sexual contact.
Genital warts can spread during oral, vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner. About two thirds of people who have sexual contact with a partner who has genital warts will develop warts, usually within three months of contact.
The only way to prevent genital warts from spreading is to avoid direct contact with the virus, which is transmitted by skin to skin contact. If you or your sexual partner has warts that are visible in the genital areas, you should avoid any skin to skin contact to avoid spreading genital warts.
Unfortunately, many people who have HPV but who have no symptoms don’t know that they can spread the genital warts virus to an uninfected partner. At any given time only a small percentage of people who have genital warts have warts that are easily seen. A recent study by the National Institute of Health reported that almost half of women who are infected with HPV had no obvious symptoms. Some people have reported reduced incidence of genital warts when a condom is used but there is not formal scientific evidence to support that theory.
Pregnant women who are infected with HPV and suffer from genital warts are likely to be concerned about passing this extremely common sexually transmitted disease on to their child. Although it is not curable, genital warts do not generally spread to the newborn and are not a major threat to your child’s health during pregnancy.
In some cases pregnant women have genital warts so large that they block the birth canal and make a vaginal birth impossible. There is also the risk that the warts may begin to bleed as the baby passes through the birth canal. In some instances, it may be necessary for a woman to have a cesarean section either if the warts completely block the birth canal or if the warts are at risk of bleeding excessively during birth.
A good source of information about how genital warts can spread is the National Institute For Allergies and Infectious Diseases. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infections diseases. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Although there is no cure for HPV, considerable research has been performed regarding the prevention of the infection. In June of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardisil, the first vaccine developed to prevent genital warts. Some states are considering making the vaccine mandatory for girls when they turn 13. There has been heated political debate over whether or not the vaccine should be mandatory. In any event, the focus on prevention could play a key role in reducing the spread of genital warts in this country.
Glossary:
Gardisil: A vaccine to prevent genital warts that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Human papillomavirus: The virus that causes genital warts.
Find more information at latest research on genital warts and low risk genital warts. TreatGenitalWarts.org is a comprehensive resource to help individuals with genital warts to identify symptoms, prevention and treatment options.
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