text: Genital Warts?\n\nHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world.  Some types of HPV cause genital warts—single or multiple bumps that appear in the genital areas of men and women including the vagina, cervix, vulva (area outside of the vagina), penis, and rectum. Genital warts (sometimes called condylomata acuminata or venereal warts) are the most easily recognized sign of genital HPV infection. Many people, however, have a genital HPV infection without genital warts. Genital warts are soft, moist, or flesh colored and appear in the genital area within weeks or months after infection. They sometimes appear in clusters that resemble cauliflower-like bumps, and are either raised or flat, small or large. Genital warts can show up in women on the vulva and cervix, and inside and surrounding the vagina and anus. In men, genital warts can appear on the scrotum or penis. There are cases where genital warts have been found on the thigh and groin. \n\nHPV has no known cure. There are treatments for genital warts, though they often disappear even without treatment. There is no way to predict whether the warts will grow or disappear. Therefore, if you suspect you have genital warts, you should be examined and treated, if necessary.\n\nDepending on factors such as the size and location of your genital warts, your health care provider will offer you one of several ways to treat them.\n\n• Imiquimod cream\n• 20 percent podophyllin antimitotic solution\n• 0.5 percent podofilox solution\n• 5 percent 5-fluorouracil cream\n• Trichloroacetic acid (TCA)\n\nIf you are pregnant, you should not use podophyllin or podofilox because they are absorbed by your skin and may cause birth defects in your baby. In addition, you should not use 5-fluorouracil cream if you are expecting.\n\nIf you have small warts, your health care provider can remove them by one of three methods.\n\n• freezing (cryosurgery)\n• burning (electrocautery)\n• laser treatment\n\nIf you have large warts that have not responded to other treatment, you may have to have surgery to remove them.\n\nSome health care providers use the antiviral drug alpha interferon, which they inject directly into the warts, to treat warts that have returned after removal by traditional means. The drug is expensive, however, and does not reduce the rate that the genital warts return.\n\nAlthough treatments can get rid of the warts, none get rid of the virus. Because the virus is still present in your body, warts often come back after treatment.