Female Genital Warts
Information on female genital warts
One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases today is female genital warts, also called Condyloma or Condylomata Acuminata. Genital warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which affects between 10 and 50 percent of the female population. The data regarding the prevalence of HPV is murky because the virus can lie dormant in the body indefinitely before showing symptoms; some people can carry the virus their entire lives and never show symptoms. There are complicated and expensive tests to reveal the presence of HPV, but not surprisingly few people who do not show symptoms ever take them.HPV is so widespread in part because it can be so hard to detect, but also because it is spread much easier than most sexually transmitted diseases. Contact with bodily fluids is not necessary to spread infection; rather mere skin-to-skin sexual contact is all that is needed. In some rare instances, prolonged sharing of such items as underwear or swimming clothes is all that is needed to spread the infection. Condoms, therefore, reduce the risk of infection, but cannot prevent the spread. The only perfectly effective method of HPV prevention currently available is abstinence.
The virus manifests itself as small wart-like growths, most often on and around the vaginal lips or around the anus. Less common are internal warts, which form inside the vagina and anus. The number of warts varies from person to person, with some people reporting a few small warts, and others affected by large clusters. There are circumstances that can cause warts to grow to a large size, such as pregnancy, or if the woman is affected by HIV, undergoing treatment for leukemia, or is in other situations in which the immune system is heavily taxed.
Without the appearance of warts, another telltale sign of HPV is an abnormal pap smear, though there are obviously many other factors that can produce similar results. It is important to visit with a doctor or medical professional if any symptoms are present. Though the warts themselves are little more than a nuisance, and at worst can swell or bleed if irritated, HPV itself has been linked to several types of cancer, most notably cervical cancer in women.
There are many treatment options available for the warts themselves, with varying levels of effectiveness depending on the affected individual and the size and number of the warts. Warts can be removed using topical medications, injections at the base of the wart, or by removal. Removal can be done surgically, usually using lasers, though this treatment is expensive and usually used only for internal warts. Just like warts on the rest of the body, genital warts may be “frozen” off using liquid nitrogen, causing the wart to scab over and fall off. However, even if the warts are removed, just as with any other virus, it is impossible to eradicate the disease with complete certainty.
Female Genital Warts Treatment
There are many professional treatments for female genital warts, each with different levels of effectiveness depending on the affected individual, and the size and number of warts. Genital warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases today. Because it is a virus, it is nearly impossible to completely eliminate the virus from the body. However, there are many safe and effective methods for removing the troublesome warts it causes.Topical medications are usually the first method tried. Several types of medications are available, each working in different ways. Imiquimod appears to boost the immune system’s ability to fight the warts, in effect helping the body destroy the wart itself. Podofilox attacks the genital wart tissue itself, and a doctor will most likely apply it the first time, and instruct the patient for ensuing self-treatments. Trichloroacetic acid actually burns away the wart, and must always be applied by a doctor.
In many patients, however, medication is ineffective at removing the warts, or simply does not work fast enough. In these cases, there are several physical methods for removing warts.
One of the most commonly used methods is “freezing” the warts off using liquid nitrogen, called cryotherapy. Also a common treatment for warts appearing on other parts of the body, cryotherapy is very useful in warts appearing externally. Liquid nitrogen is sprayed onto the affected skin, causing a blister to form. As the blister heals, the wart sloughs off, allowing new skin to form. Several cryotherapy treatments may be required for complete removal of the warts. Cryotherapy is usually the first tried and often the only, as the effectiveness is very high, and the occurrence of side effects quite low.
Electrodesiccation is used in similar situations as cryotherapy, and in many ways accomplishes the same result in the opposite manner. Instead of freezing the wart, it is “burned” off with the use of electric current. It is done in an office, usually with local anesthesia.
Simple surgery is even more effective, and the recurrence rate is the lowest. Local anesthesia is applied, and a doctor removes the warts using special tools. Surgery is usually used when the warts are small in size and number.
The rarest and by far the most expensive method of professional treatment for genital warts is laser surgery. Often, laser surgery is a last resort when there are many warts present, or a constant recurrence of warts that had been previously removed by other methods. Laser treatments are also used for internal genital warts found in the vagina or anus.
As mentioned earlier, removal of warts is important, but will not guarantee the eradication of the virus from the body.
