Puberty Sex information - Teenage Boys

Street Names for Genital Warts

acuminate warts, venereal warts, condyloma

Facts about Genital Warts

• Caused by a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). Not all warts are the sexually transmitted kind and most are very common.
• Many treatments but NO cures!
• Warts may disappear but the virus remains inside of you.
• Nothing over-the-counter works to remove genital warts, especially "wart removers"!
• A doctor must cut them off, burn them off, or freeze them off…and then the warts still come back later and are carried for a lifetime.
• There is a clear association with genital warts and deadly cervical cancer in women! A vaccine for HPV is now available for girls and women.

Transmission

• 40 million people carry the HPV virus in the U.S. About 1 million people get infected yearly.
• Infection stays in one spot on the body, like Herpes.
• Most often spread during sex.
• 40-80% of people exposed to the virus get infected (many with no symptoms and no visible warts).
• Babies do NOT get it from their mothers.
• Not spread by toilet seats, clothes, tubs, towels.

Incubation

• Virus lives in cells just under skin surface and often on the penis.
• Persons with HPV may or may not grow warts from 3 weeks to 9 months after having sex with an infected person.

Symptoms

• Warts on your penis may be tiny and flat or big and lumpy.
• Begins as a small, hard spot at site of entry of the virus.
• Genital warts may itch or bleed.
• Usually 6mm (1/4 inch) across and 9mm (3/8 inch) high.
• Might be no symptoms at all!

Prevention

• Only 100% completely safe option - choose not to have sex!
• Condoms help, but the wart virus can be on skin not protected by the condom.
• Always ask your doctor to check unusual warts regardless of where they are located.

More information

If you have further questions or concerns about STDs, ask Dr. Mike, an internationally known Clinical Microbiologist specializing in STDs. He has worked extensively with teenage boys and contributed all the information on the STD pages. (Change the (at) to @ and the (dot) to . in the email address below)

Tell Dr Mike how old you are, what country you are from and then write your message. You will be emailing a specialist offering his time to help young guys! Your email will be treated confidentially and erased after he answers you!