Stages of Genital Warts

Genital warts also known as verruca acuminata, condyloma acuminatum and venereal wart, spreads due to human papilloma viruses ( HPV ). Genital warts are characterized by the abnormal skin growths, occurring on and around the genital parts. Warts appear like small bumps which are white, red or pink in color. Genital warts are contagious and mostly spread through sexual contact. Some studies suggest that even if an HPV infected person does not develop signs, he or she can transmit the virus through sexual contact. A person with a strong immune system might not be affected by the virus. If it is left untreated, they can develop into a serious nuisance for the body. In some cases this infection can also lead to cancer. Thus, it is very important to know the different stages of genital warts for proper treatment.

Different Stages

As these arts are contagious and there are no early signs of infection, a person can unknowingly infect others. Thus, knowing the genital wart stages is not only important for the health of the infected person, but also for the health of his or her loved one. By reading the following information, you will be in a better position to diagnose and treat it early.

• When you are first infected with human papilloma viruses, there will be no signs and symptoms for the first few months, after which, one may experience redness and itching on and around the genital parts or on inner thighs.
• The redness and itching can be followed by little soreness or swelling. Actually, this can be outbreak of one of the beginning stages. A sexually active person should not ignore this symptom and rush to the doctor immediately.
• After few days of constant itching, there will be appearance of small lumps of skin on and around the genital parts. These lumps of skin can be white, pink, red or sometimes even blue in color. The size can range from one mm to few centimeters.
• In the early stages, these lumps or bulges are painless. But with every passing day, these lumps start getting bigger in size. In worse cases, the number of lumps or bulges also increase rapidly. In some rare cases, these type of warts can also appear in the mouth or lips of the infected person.
• Due to these warts, there will be bleeding during intercourse, the area may also become extremely damp and moist. Sometimes women experience large amount of vaginal fluid discharge especially when the warts appear on the entrance of vaginal canal.
• If these warts are left untreated, the person is at a risk of developing cervical cancer and cancer of the vulva, anus or penis. Thus ignoring the early stages can prove fatal.

Treatment Options

As I said, as soon as a person discovers early signs, he must seek medical help immediately. Doctors may suggest medications but, removing genital warts is the most likely treatment. The warts can be removed by various procedures, like cryotherapy in which the warts are removed by freezing them using liquid nitrogen. Electrocautery in which electric current is used to remove warts is also preferred in some cases. Nowadays, laser surgery is also available, it is generally used in case of recurrent development. However, removing genital warts does not mean that the virus has left the body completely. So surgery is not a complete solution.

Vaccination is also available, but it is only recommended for women. I hope the above information on different stages help you in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.